FT MEADE 

CenCo 1 I 





Class _ __:T_Z,3 

Book__^..r\"4-^ ?^5'^ 

Copyright N? 

COPYRtGHT DEPOSIT. 














4 


♦ 






/ < 

i 

I . i 


4 


I 


THE 

BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ 
CIRCLE 

DISCUSS 

“SYANCE WHAT AIN’T SYANCE” 


ANNA ADAMS TINGLE 



ILLUSTRATED BY 


C. S. HAMMOCK 


THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copies l^eceived 

MAY 1 i903 

Copyright Entry 

• Hh'. r 2- 

CLASS CL XXc. No. 

0 

COPY 0. 




COPYRIGHTED 








Cj <• c c 


X<< c 


t«<./ #%<« 

« t * ‘ 

C t f « « <* 

e c «■ * 

r < « « “i 


ctjti o 


DEDICATION 


*^To them who air sick and to them who 
think they air, this book is affectionately dedi- 
cated by one who knows she is.^^ 




















;ss 


I 












4 
































The Barleyville Sewin’ Circle. 


f 


FIRST MEETIN’. 


THE CIRCLE HEARS THAT MRS. PICKENS HAS A 
NEW DOCTRINE. 

‘^Well, it’s jest this way neow,” said 
Miranda Pickens, ^^my own brother John Hen- 
wife hez cum’ hum’ with the all-killin’est 
set o’ notions I ever heered tell of in my born 
days.” 

“Yew don’t say so!” exclaimed Mrs. Griggs. 

“Indeed, and I do say so: the all killin’est 
notions anybody ever heered of.” 

“Dew tell,” said Aunt Arimatha, breaking 
off a thread with a snap. 

“Well, first she says, if you air sick you 
ain’t sick; and if you have cramps fit to kill, 
in the stummuck, she declairs it’s all in your 
head. Neow there, ain’t them the beatenest 
notions?” 

“Kindy queer.” Giggled Libby Brewster. 
She always giggled and endeavored to say 
something if possible, so impossible to be mis- 
construed that she could be a good friend 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

with every body and every thing in Barley- 
ville, and she generally succeeded; she was 
always alluded to as ‘^gigglin’ Libby.’’ No one 
ever said aught of her in praise or censure, 
and even if she w^as present, every one felt 
free to talk about any body, for Libby was 
perfectly harmless. 

^^Is them all the notions y’er sister’nlaw 
hez brnng back?” queried Aunt Arimatha. 

'^Land, ain’t them enough? I hit my finger 
with the hammer when I was a helpin’ to open 
one of her boxes and it run pain clear to my 
big toe, and when I sed ^onch’ she just smiled 
and sed, ^O, when will truth conquer errror?’ 
I sed, ^what error?’ I didn’t see no error, 
onless it was a hittin’ of my finger instead of 
the plank I aimed at. And there I was a 
suckin’ that finger and the nail about mashed 
off, and she a sayin’, ^It don’t hurt you, Mi- 
randa; there’s no sensation in matter.’ I 
told her I know’d it wasn’t matterated, it 
hedn’t been hit long enough fer that; but I 
missed my guess, if it didn’t gether an’ the 
hull nail cum’ off o’ it. I asked her to git me 
a rag to tie it up, and what did she do but 
2 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

straighten up and inform me that it would be 
agin’ her new superior enlightenment and do 
more harm than good.” 

^‘Dew tell!” said Aunt Arimatha, threading 
a needle. “Didn’t she git you no rag?” 

“No, nor nothin’ else. I asked her fer some 
healin’ salve. She used to make such good 
salve; but believe me, that woman bed 
throw’d out all her medicine and bottles and 
burnt the salve, boxes and all. She sed she 
would never again propigate error and help 
dethrone the truth, and was sorry she hedn’t 
begun sooner, and then she smiled and sed 
she wasn’t sorry, ^for sorry couldn’t abide 
with truth.’ By that time I hed my finger 
done up in my handkerchief and was unpack- 
in’ the box, while she sewed a hem in her 
apern. I remarked to her thet it was a git- 
tin’ late and quite dark, and reminded her 
thet as she didn’t hev’ on her glasses, she’d 
run off o’ the edge o’ the hem. She looked 
so pittyin’ly at me and sed: don’t blame 

you Miranda, I was so once myself; you are 
not to be blamed Miranda, you ain’t had no 
such light as I have; you ain’t never been re- 


3 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

vealed to like Mrs. Eddy.’ I was all took back 
and I asked her what she meant, any how? 
And she sed: ^To them that sit in darkness, 
that is (to them that think they do,) a great 
light has come and revealed that there ain’t 
any dark; light and darkness to me are one 
and I will never wear glasses again.’ And she 
got up to light the lamp and I peeked at the 
apern and more’n half her stitches hadn’t 
caught the hem at all. I asked her, if there 
weren’t any dark, what she lit the lamp fer? 
She’d as well save the coal oil as not. She 
smiled again; I never see John Henry’s wife 
smile so much. She explained, that ^the lamp 
was for them that sot in error, and not for 
them that reveled in truth.’ ” 

‘^My she used nice landguige,” said Mrs. 
Griggs. “John Henry’s wife hez always used 
nice landguige and up to this time, I always 
thought that she was extra sharp, but I’m 
turrible took back to hear of her goin’ on so.” 

“I wonder if it ain’t something new and 
stylish she’s got?” queried Deacon Pert’s wife. 
“I guess I will go and call on her myself.” 
“My Almira Jane hez always thought a ter- 
4 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

rible sight of your brother’s wife,” chimed in 
Mrs. Stillman, whose daughter was the ac- 
knowledged belle of Barleyville. 

Those w^ords seemed to cast a spell over the 
Sewin’ Circle, for there was very little more 
said about Mrs. Elizabeth Pickens, Miranda 
Pickens’ sisterinlaw, and that little was said 
in careful undertones. 

But no one could deny the fact, that a deep 
interest had been awakened, and the secre- 
tary numbered three pages ahead, for she 
knew every body that possibly could would 
be out to the next meeting. 

Perhaps some other woman could have 
come from a visit, with a new religion, and 
aw'akened only a few curious remarks. But 
it w^as not so with Mrs. Pickens; for hadn’t 
she been the acknowledged leader in Barley- 
ville for years it might have been different. 

Let any one who is skeptical about the im- 
portance of such a position try to supplant 
such a village leader and they will learn, that 
waging a successful presidential campaign is 
about as easy. 

Now^, Mrs. Pert had long been endeavoring 


5 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

to supplant the leader, and her highest aspi- 
ration was to become the chief woman of her 
own village. Though Barleyville never sus- 
pected such a thing, so amiable were they to 
each other. But Mrs. Pickens understood it 
and often remarked in the sanctity of her own 
home that ^^possession was nine points in 
law.’’ 

While Mrs. Pert often remarked to her un- 
communicative kitten, ^^Speaking of mice, 
kitty, I would rather be the head of a mouse 
than the tail of a lion.” 

So the story meant something more to the 
people of Barleyville than was at first sup- 
posed. Though I must confess some may 
have suspected it, for each woman looked sig- 
nificant and departed rather hurriedly, when 
the Circle was dismissed for the day. 


6 


SECOND MEETIN’. 


THE REPORT VERIFIED. 

^‘Well, it’s all as true as preachinV’ said 
Mrs. Pert, laying aside her bonnet. ^^Mrs. 
Pickens has gone in for Christian Science, 
just as strong as she has for every other fad 
that has ever come along. I think so much 
driftin’ about, shows weakness of character.” 

‘^They ain’t any weakness about John Hen- 
ry’s wife, as you’ll find out; when she’s sot, 
she’s sot, and I never see her setter in my life, 
than she is over this new doctern.” 

“I jest pity John Henry and that little 
adapted ga’l o’ their’n,” said Miranda. 

^^She ain’t done nothin’ to the child, hez 
she?” inquired Aunt Arimatha. 

^AYell, I cain’t abide tellin’ tales on my own 
relation, but between you and me, I’m rale 
sorry fer the child. Last night she burnt her 
poor little han’ awful and John Henry’s wife 
looked stern and sed, Jt don’t hurt you Doro- 
thea, say ^God is good.’ ^Dod is dood,’ wailed 


7 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

the child. ^Hush, Dorothea, don’t pervert 
truth, say God is all.’ ^Dod is all.’ ^Oh, my 
hand.’ ^Say it don’t hurt!’ commanded John 
Henry’s wife. ‘But it do hurt me,’ wailed the 
child. ‘It do hurt.’ At that moment Eliza- 
beth gave her the hardest slappin’ I ever see 
her give the child in my life.” 

“Oh, the heartless woman!” exclaimed the 
preacher’s wife. “To slap that dear little 
child. Why, she isn’t much more than a 
baby.” 

“Jest three old, come next Tuesday,” said 
Miranda. “I couldn’t stand it, and I up and 
said, ‘If things don’t hurt and they ain’t no 
sensation in matter, w^hat d’ye smack her fer?’ 
At that she smiled sarific and sed, ‘I was to 
be forgive.’ Sometime I feel, you will be lifted 
out of error and sot in truth.’ ” 

“Almira Jane was OA^er to your brother’s 
the other day, helpin’ your sister’nlaw^ to cook 
for harvest hands, and she said Mrs. Pickens 
got so carried away a talkin’ Syance, thet she 
clean forgot to put in any bakin’ powder in 
the cake, and it was as flat and hard as a sand 
stune. Mrs. Pickens Avas all took back, fer 
8 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


they wan’t no time to bake anuther. When, 
what did that little innocent Dorothea do but 
come and hold her little hand over the cake 
and say, ^Dod is dood.’ ^All is Dod.’ ‘All is 
dood.’ ‘It^s dood now mamma, tut it twick.’ 
Almira sed she couldn’t help it, she jest 
busted rite out laffin, and Mrs. Pickens took 
the cake out instanter and threw it into the 
pig pen.” 

“Why didn’t she save it fer bread puddin’ 
and not waste all the continents in it? I 
alw^ays save my poor cakes fer puddin, to 
save the sugar and flavorin,” said Mrs. Grip- 
penny sarcastically. 

“I seen something funnier than the cake 
over at Mrs. Widdle’s quiltin’ bee t’other 
day.” Every body listened, for when Mrs. 
Dean spoke she most always had something 
to say. “Fanny Dunlavy sat just beside Mrs. 
Pickens and she took a long thread, so that 
every time she jerked it through, it stuck 
Mrs. Pickens somewhere.” 

“Did she wince?” they all asked in one 
breath. 

“Wince? Why she looked madder than sin. 


9 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

but she didn’t dare say anything, so Fanny 
kept a proddin’ away every once in a while. 
So I said, ^Fanny, don’t you know you’re a 
jabbin’ that needle into Mrs. Pickens about 
every two minutes?’ ‘Yes,’ says she, ‘but I 
don’t see as there is any harm in it, so 
long as there is no sensation in matter.’ 
‘Fanny,’ said Mrs. Pickens sternly, ‘Fanny, 
remember that I admire to be persecuted for 
the sake of truth.’ But she got up and moved 
to an empty seat t’other side o’ the quilt, as 
far as possible from the persecutin’. But as 
far as bein’ consistent is concerned, I guess 
there is a good many that ain’t. There’s Miss 
Nancy Ashley over at the Corners; for four 
and twenty years she’s been prayin’ at every 
prayer meetin’ night for an opportunity to do 
somethin’ fer the Lord, and always sayin’, 
‘Oh, that I might only be allowed to feed His 
lambs.’ And w^hen her widowed sister died, 
off in Californy last month, and they wrote to 
her that there were two little orphans left, 
she writ back that she ‘s’posed the Lord and 
the State of Californy could take care o’ em.’ 
So I guess all that are inconsistent ain’t Sy- 
antists.” 


10 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

said Mrs. Pert, ‘‘but I guess most all 
the Scientists are inconsistent.’^ 

“He! He! !” giggled Libby Brewster, “that’s 
good enough for a proverb.” 

“Well,” said Aunt Arimatha, breaking off 
her thread and folding up her sewing, “We’ve 
had a rale entertainin’ meetin’, but if we git 
around to the soshable, we’d better ajurn 
airly.” 

So they unanimous!}' adjourned to meet 
with Mrs. Stillman the next Wednesday. 


11 


THIRD MEETIN’. 


THE CIRCLE REPORT THEIR CALL AT 
MRS. PICKENS\ 

This meeting was at Mrs. Stillman’s. 
Everybody came early and secretly hoped, 
that Mrs. Elisabeth Pickens wouldn’t be pres- 
ent. For hadn’t every woman in Barleyville 
called on her during the week, for the purpose 
of learning something more of her new re- 
ligion? 

^^And why shouldn’t we talk it over, I’d 
like to know?” ejaculated Mrs. Pert, as she 
tucked her mittens into the crown of her bon- 
net. ^Aliranda just expressed it: ^It is the 
allkillenest set o’ notions I ever heard tell 
of.’ ” 

^^Does she talk it much?” ventured Mrs. 
Stillman, w^ho had been too busy to call. 

^Talk it much? Why, I should say so; she 
binds herself to ponder over it all the time; 
it’s her one thought every waking hour. She 
calls it the theme of her life, and says it’s 
12 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

very stylish in New England, one of the lead- 
ing fads of Bosting. But, style or no style, 
1^11 not take it up. I think too much of Mr. 
Pert and the children.’’ 

<<Why, how in the world could it hurt Mr. 
Pert?” inquired Almira Jane. 

“Mr Pert’s not over strong, and if I quit 
lookin’ after him, I don’t think that he’d live 
very long.” 

“Dew tell!” exclaimed Aunt Arimatha, ad- 
justing her glasses. “Elisabeth ain’t quit 
lookin’ after John Henry, hez she? She used 
to be lookin’ after him every time he went 
down the street toward Dr. Garlick’s.” 

“Well, I cain’t exactly say that she’s quit 
lookin’ after him in that way, but as to seein’ 
that he’s properly wrapped up when he goes 
out in the cold, why, she don’t pay no more 
attention than if he was a marbly stattoo. 
Well, I guess John Henry ’ll be right glad of 
it; I think he used to resent bein’ did up in 
mufflers and all kinds of crochetted Aim- 
flomery; most men do.” 

“Yes, I know they pretend to, but laws ’a’ 
me, that’s done to make ’em appear strong 


13 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

like, and masterful,’’ said Almira Jane. 

^A^ou can depend on it all the same, they 
like to be wrapped up and cuddled and told to 
take kier o’ theirselves, and feel neglected 
w'hen they ain’t looked after.” 

That statement was from an authority; 
for hadn’t Mrs. Leander Loomis had three 
husbands? Two dead and one living; besides 
seven own sons and five stepsons, that took 
great pride in calling her Ma and laughing 
at those same motherly attentions. 

^Well, I ain’t carin’ so much about John 
Henry’s wife and other men’s wives, a lookin’ 
after their men, as I am about what Mrs. Pick- 
ens hed to say about her new doctern,” ex- 
claimed Mrs. Stillman, who for once was 
aroused out of her customary indifference, 
and the conversation took on a lively turn, as 
each woman present gave a review of her 
visit with the very interesting Mrs. Pickens. 

‘Ahe very first she said to me, took me so 
by surprise, that it didn’t leave any room for 
further astonishment,” explained Mrs. Griggs, 
whose social position and age gave her the 
best right to be first speaker of the day. ^^You 

14 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

know how she used to grieve over little Elim, 
and he was a dear child if I do say it. Well, 
she up and said, first thing: ^My dear 

Mrs. Griggs, you know how I used to grieve 
over the death of little Elim.’ Wes,’ said I, 
tender like, for I had lost a little one too, and 
felt the bond of sympathy. Well,’ said she, 
‘I have mourned over a great delusion.’ I 
didn’t know what she meant, so I ventured to 
say : know that it is wrong to mourn so for 

the friends that have gone, but it’s hard to 
forget it all. Wes, it w^as once,’ said Mrs. 
Pickens. ^But it was all a vain delusion, an 
error of mortal mind.’ Not understandin’, I 
jest waited fer her to go on. ^Oh, that the 
revelation hed come sooner, that light and 
love and peace had folded me then as it does 
now.’ 

^^But speakin’ of little Elim,” said I, encour- 
agin’ like, ^^do you feel reconciled at last?” 

^Keconciled is not the word,’ said Mrs. 
Pickens, settin’ real still and lookin’ up high 
and worshipful. 

^Oh, to feel the majesty, the might, the 
130 wer, of human mind, the God-germ in man; 


15 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

I feel lifted above all sense, and set in high 
places; where to live, is love and joy and har- 
mony.^ 

^‘And as lofty as it all sounded, I couldn’t 
help laughin’ inside and wonderin’, if she 
hadn’t been lifted above all sense, for I 
couldn’t sense her meanin’, to save my life. 
So I said again, am more than glad that 
you have been reconciled about little Elim.’ 

“ ^Little Elim,’ said she faintly, ^Oh, the 
vain delusions we build in mortal mind, be- 
fore we learn elimination, illumination and 
peace.’ don’t understand,’ said I. ^No,’ 
said she, ^and yet you might, for the new rev- 
elation is not for me alone, but for all; you 
only need to accept it, to have all the past 
erased, and the future made as clear as noon 
day.’ ^But how?’ sez I. 

^^^Just accept, believe, affirm, and the joy 
will be yours,’ sez she, layin her hand on mine. 
^But I don’t see how,’ sez I, ^always havin’ 
been brought up orthodox.’ So she give me 
a lot o’ tracks and told me to read them and 
I’d ^soon see the dark disappear and the sun 
of Syance would rise and irradiate me all 
through.’ 

16 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


“So bein’ unable to understand about it, 
I took the tracks, and my departure simulta- 
neously. thinkin’ I could find out by readin’ 
at home, but I oan’t.” 

“I know what she meant,” said Miranda, 
“she avowed to me more than a dozen times, 
that little Elim wasn’t and never hed been; 
that there is no such thing as the birth and 
death of a child.” 

“Oh, that is surely a mistake,” said the min- 
ister’s wife. 

“No it isn’t,” affirmed Mrs. Pert, “she said 
the same to me. She also said, that if sorry 
could abide with truth, she’d be sorry for all 
the tears she had ever shed over little Elim. 
And I said, ^Don’t you think, Mrs. Pickens, 
that such doctrine would make people selfish, 
cold and unsympathetic?’ ^My dear Mrs. 
Pert,’ she exclaimed tragically, ^for years I 
was a slave to mortal mind; I suffered pains 
and sickness and sorrows; saw my little boy 
sicken and die and taken away and buried. I 
came back to a lonely home, put away broken 
toys and little shoes, doing all the hard things 
that a mother generally does at such times. 

17 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

Was that a happy condition? I felt all the 
anguish that an orthodox believer, like your- 
self, could feel; but as real as it all seemed 
to me, it was after all only a delusion, and an 
error, a dream. Syance has revealed to me 
that there is no pain, no sickness, no birth, 
no death, and God is all ; and all the earth, if 
it will, can be in perfect harmony; therefore, 
sympathy for people in error, is error; for it 
feeds the delusion and helps to bind the fet- 
ters on the slave. I have risen above it all, 
and can say with Paul, ^^None of these things 
move me.^^ ’ And I found that they didn’t; 
for I told her about poor old Mr. Amos gittin’ 
hurt down at the quarry last week, and how 
the family must have help or suffer, and she 
soiiled as serific as an angel and said, G have 
risen above all error, and none of these things 
move me.’ I told her that little Jimmie Amos 
was about little Elim’s size, and asked if she 
wouldn’t like to send some of little Elim’s 
clothes to the poor child, seein’ she hed no 
more use for them, and I thought that the 
Lord liked for us to do these things; and be- 
sides they would git moth e’t if she kept ’em. 


18 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


have ’em in campfire/ sed she, forgettin’ to 
be consistent; then rememberin’, she blushed 
and tried to change the subject, but I 
wouldn’t, so she finally said, will do more 
than anyone: I will think for little Jimmie 
Amos, and perhaps — yes — I will give old Mr. 
Amos absent treatments.’ Bein’ in a hurry 
and anxious to git somethin’ more substantial 
than thoughts for the Amoses, I hurried on.” 

Each had about the same experience to 
relate, but Mrs. Stillman announced tea, so 
the subject was dropped for awhile and the 
Circle discussed commonplace things and ex- 
changed recipes. It was a very good and 
entertaining meeting, and many good and 
useful things found their way to the Amoses 
after the Circle adjourned. 


19 


FOURTH MEETIN’. 


MIR ANDY HAS A CLAIM. 

come in; do, every body, and take a 
cheer, and make yerselves comfortable,” said 
Mrs. Pert, the meeting being at her home. 

^Mnd if ther ain’t Mirandy! Law Mirandy, 
what hev ye been a doin’ with yerself? Ye 
ain’t been out, for two or three meetin’s, and 
you look peaked,” said Mrs. Loomis, who 
could always detect a change in any body’s 
looks, as quick as an Irishman can, a change 
in the weather. 

‘^You ain’t been sick, hev’ you Mirandy, and 
not let a body know it?” And she looked 
as if she was regretting about all the tea, and 
poultices she could have made for her, if she 
could just have had a chance. 

^^Yes, I hev been sick, just awful sick, with 
one of my bad spells of noorralgy, and brown 
keeters.” 

^^It’s airly in the season to hev it,” said 
Mrs. Pert. 


20 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

^^Yes,” she said, was worser than usual.” 

^^How did Mrs. Pickens act about it?” asked 
Almira Jane, but they were all aching to 
know. 

^‘Well, the first day, she paid very little 
attention to me; but little Dorothea, bless the 
child, tried to heat cloths for my poor head. 
By night, I w as in terrible pain, and I tried to 
git Elisabeth, to send for the doctor, but she 
said ‘>Io apostle o’ error should ever enter her 
irritated domicile.’ But she said, J will de- 
monstrate over you.’ So she sot down, and 
sed a lingo or two, about every thin’ bein’ 
good, and cornin’ from God. ^Job’s afflictions 
didn’t,’ sed I; ^Satan tormented Job, and I 
firmly believe, that noorralgy is a torment o’ 
Satan.’ 

^There is no such thing as you speak of, 
Mirandy. It is all an error o’ mortal mind.’ 
‘Well my head will burst with the error then,’ 
said I, fif somethin’ ain’t done to relieve it.’ 
G am doin’ somethin’, I’m thinkin’ for you,’ 
sez she, as sweet as a seraff, and bein’ in such 
pain, that I was a’most past thinkin’ for my- 
self, I riz up in bed, and told Elisabeth, that 

21 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

she hadn^t any brains left to think for herself 
with, and she needn^t agitate ’em, a thinkin’ 
for me. 

never get agitated Mirandy,’ said she; 

have risin above all such things; I will go 
out in the kitchen, and give you absent treat- 
ment.’ 

‘^After awhile I was gettin’ easier, more due 
to the absence, than the treatment, I guess, 
and was just dozin’ off like, when Elisabeth 
come in, a singin’ like a blue-jay with the in- 
fluenza. She never could sing, but she thinks 
she can, since she hez overcome mortal mind. 
Her singin’ went through my head like a 
buzz-saw, and all the pain sot in again worse 
than ever. 

^^She see that I was quite flustered, so she 
said: ^Mirandy you hev a claim.’ what?’ 
said I. ^A claim,’ says she. ^Sure?’ sez I, 
seein’ she had some mail in her hand, and she 
hed just come from the Post Office. H am,’ 
sez she. ^ Where?’ sez I, ‘and who took it up 

for me?’ ‘Is it proved up, and likely to be 
wuth the taxes?’ sez I, thinkin’ maybe I’d 
move onto it, if ’twas. I’d about as lieve live 
in Kansas, as at John Henry’s, since Elisa- 
22 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


beth got syance. ‘I mean/ sez she, ^that you 
have a mental claim.^ ^Law,’ sez I, as dis- 
gusted as a cat, that^s lost a mouse. ^Law; 
I don’t suppose that I’ll realize much on real 
estate o’ thet kind; at least, not until we git 
some syantiffic real estate agents.’ ^But, 
Mirandy, if you’d only acknowledge that it 
was nothin’ but a claim, I could relieve you 
immediately.’ ^Maybe it is,’ sed I, ‘and a 
rocky claim at that, with a lot o’ imps blastin’ 
’em out with dynamite, and occasionally 
shootin’ ten or a dozen charges simultane- 
ously.’ ‘Oh Mirandy,’ sed she, ‘how unneces- 
sary, how erronious.’ ‘I wish you’d stop 
talkin’ that nonsense,’ sez I, ‘and git me a 
hot iron or a bag o’ hot salt; I’d do as much 
for a sick dog.’ ‘I’d only be propigatin’ error,’ 
sed she, ‘and doin’ more harm than good.’ I 
was beginnin’ to think that the milk o’ 
human kindness hed all turned to whey, when 
little Dorothea brought in her little toy iron 
‘for po’ Aunt Mirandy, ’tause Aunt Mirandy 
hurted.’ It was a mighty little iron, but it 
warmed my heart considerable, and took out 
lots of the bitter feelin’s that was accumu- 


23 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

lated there. I was awful bad off by night, 
the noorralgy hed gone to my stummick, and 
I do believe that I would hev died if John 
Henry hedn’t a come hum.’^ 

‘^Why was he away?’’ asked Mrs. Pert. 

^^He was over to the county seat, a settin’ 
on the Grand Jury, but he got hum just in 
time, and when he seen how sick I was, he 
just shet his lips like a steel trap, he wanted 
to say somethin’, but he didn’t say it. He just 
hustled around, and het two or three irons, 
and got me a bag o’ hot salt, and begun hunt- 
in’ around for some bone-set, or pennyroyal, 
or some thin’ to make me a tea of. But he 
couldn’t find none, so he put on his hat, and 
Elisabeth sed, ^Where are ye goin’, John 
Henry? I won’t have, no apostle o’ error, a 
cornin’ into my house.’ J am a goin’ over to 
Ann Prouty’s, fer some yarbs,’ sed he, ^seein’ 
all the nice fresh ones I gethered air used up.’ 
‘They were disposed of,’ sed she, ‘but not 
used.’ ‘Throw’d away or burnt up, I sup- 
pose?’ sed he. ‘John Henry,’ sez she, a show- 
in’ a little agitation, ‘don’t go to Ann Prouty’s 
after yarbs; it’ll git all over the country, and 

24 


THE BARLEYVIELE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

peoi^le ’ll think, that I am inconsistent or fal- 
terin’ in my new found faith.’ ^I’ll tell Ann 
Prouty, thet they are for Mirandy.’ ^Don’t 
go John Henry, it’ll hurt my new faith.’ John 
Henry most alius gives in to Elisabeth, but 
he didn’t then. He just sed, ^You ’tend to yer 
new faith Elisabeth, and I’ll tend to my old 
one.’ Then he went out, and shut the door, 
quite a bit harder than was necessary. Ann 
sent over the yarbs, and he stopped at the 
Doctor’s and got me some quietin’ powders, 
and in a few days I was up and around again, 
but I don’t feel real spry yit.” 

‘ J had no idea Mrs. Pickens would be so set 
as that.” And Mrs. Pert looked real sur- 
prised. 

^‘A doctrine of any kind, that hardens the 
human heart, so that it can ignore pain, and 
suffering, is a menace to society, and a dan- 
ger to the community. I am surprised to see, 
how many there are accepting this strange 
fallacy. Mr. Earnest and I were counting 
them last night, and there are twenty-two ad- 
herents in this neighborhood alone, and it has 
not been more than five months, since it wms 
first taught here.” 


25 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


said Mrs. Pert, coming in to invite 
them out to tea. ^^The wealthy, and influen- 
tial, are being carried away with it, and our 
church is in danger; for they are beginning 
to talk about holding regular services, and 
have been asking for the use of the church. 
In a larger place, where the church was 
strong, there would be no danger, but they 
almost outnumber us here in Barleyville now, 
therefore it will be very necessary, that we be 
alive and awake, if w^e are to hold our own in 
the community,’’ said Mrs. Earnest, the Min- 
ister’s wife. 

The Society had cause to think of what the 
Minister’s wdfe said afterwmrd, although 
they seemed to have paid more attention to 
the supper at the time. Mrs. Pert busied her- 
self w^aiting upon the table, taking pride in 
the thought, that the nearest way to the heart 
of the community, wms through the stomach. 


26 


FIFTH MEETIN’. 


BEFORE THE LECTURE. 

The Society had removed their wraps, and 
were inquiring of each other, if they had 
lieard the news. 

^‘What news?^’ asked Mrs. Loomis. 

Christian Science lecturer, is comin^ 
from Bosting, to talk to the Barleyville peo- 
ple,’^ was the answer, by a chorus of voices. 

“ICs a fact!’^ exclaimed Fanny Dunlavy, 
who had just come in. K. just told me 

so, and he^s already spoke for the hall, and 
sheTl be here Friday night.’’ 

^C4re you sure, that she’s from Bosting?” 
asked Mrs. Pert, who had manifested a great 
deal of interest, in the new doctrine. 

K. assures me that she is, and I am 
ashamed to own it, but D. K. is just as much 
took up with it, as his sister Elisabeth Pick- 
-ens.” 

‘^Well, them two alius did think alike, ever 
since they wore pinafores. I like to see a 


27 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

brother and sister think alike. I mind, when 
they wasn’t much more’n babies, how we used 
to tease ’em about it arfterwards; one day, I 
asked D. K. how old they were, and he said 
^Lizzie’s five, and I’m five, five-six-eight-nine- 
ten, we’re ten, Mrs. Loomis.’ ” 

^Llccordin’ to that, they must be mighty 
nigh sixty now; you chose purtty old com- 
pany, Fanny?” said Almira Jane. 

The Society did not laugh, at this remark, 
for they knew that Almira Jane was jealous 
of Fanny, and the Society loved Fanny so 
dearly that they would not do anything to 
hurt her feelings, for they knew very well 
that Fanny was hurt deeply, because D. K. 
had embraced ^^Syance.” When no one was 
Avatching, Mrs. Loomis asked Fanny if she 
cared. She blushed like a school-girl and 
said : 

^J^aw, why should I care, especially?’^ 
And looking up into the sky, she called the 
Society to the window to look at the beauty 
of the clouds. But Almira Jane was intent 
upon getting even with Fanny, and said: 

“I wasn’t one bit surprised, when D. K. 

28 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


took Up ^Syance.^ I never did think that he 
showed extra good taste, and bein^ close, like 
all the rest of the Grimes^, I suppose that he 
thinks that it will save doctor bills. I pitty 
the girl he marries.^’ 

^^Oh, I don’t see why people call D. K. close, 
just because he’s forehanded, and got a good 
farm paid for; but I don’t know as any body 
present is goin’ to be his wife, unless it’s you 
or Libby.” 

At this retort from Fanny, Libby giggled, 
and giggled, until Almira Jane felt as uncom- 
fortable as a squirrel in a rat trap. 

Mrs. Pert confessed, that she had been read- 
ing some tracts, that Mrs. Pickens had given 
her, and was greatly impressed, with what 
they contained. She said, ‘G found some very 
remarkable doctern, and what seemed to im- 
press me most was the hypotheses in this 
track, and this little row of naughts; what do 
you suppose that Mrs. Eddy used ’em for?” 

Mrs. Earnest said, ^ J suppose because there 
is nothing in it.” 

Mrs. Pert looked embarrassed, then she 
said, found in another track, a poem by 


29 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

Mrs. Eddy, which is wonderful, for I can’t 
make out the entire meanin’ of it, or why it 
was written, and yet I believe it is wonderful, 
if I can’t understand it.” 

Mrs. Earnest asked her to read it, and this 
is what she read: 

I— Myself— I, 

The outside, the inside. 

The what and the why. 

I— I— Myself— I.” 

^^Now what do you think of it?” asked Mrs. 
Pert. 

^^Oh, I don’t feel much impressed with it; 
I think that I could do as well myself and not 
try very hard either,” said Fanny. 

^^Do it then,” said Mrs. Pert rather force- 
fully, for she was quite a little vexed at 
Fann^^’s remark. 

^^Oh, I could,” stoutly declared the girl, and 
Almira Jane got her a blank sheet of paper, 
out of the secretary’s book, and a pencil. The 
Society was not a little surprised, when 
Fanny took the pencil, and began writing at 
once. She was a resolute girl and what she 


30 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


undertook she usually carried out. While 
the Society sewed for a few moments Fanny 
confined herself to the writing, but it was not 
long until she said: 

^^Listen Sisters o’ the Sewin’ Circle, my lay 
is ready.” Then she began reading: 

^^If I wore my mittens — inside outside — 

I should have to wear them 

Hair side outside — skin side inside. 

If I wore them outside inside. 

Hair side inside — skin side outside, 

I would wear them outside inside. 

But I wear them right side outside. 

Skin side inside — hair side outside. 

I always wear them right side outside.” 

^^There you are,” said Fanny. 

^HVhy Fanny Dunlavy, you’d astonish the 
man in the moon,” said Mrs. Pert. never 
seen sich a girl. Where on airth, did you 
ever get hold of sich a lingo as that?” 

^^That isn’t a lingo, that’s ^Syance,’ plain 
everyday ^Syance’ — ^Syantiffick Syance.’ I 
hev’ been revealed to, since we last met ladies, 
I’m inspired. Some time I shall write a book,” 
said Fanny. 


31 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

‘^Then let it be a cook book Fanny. Your 
puddings air betteFn your poetry.’’ 

Such a long speech from Aunt Arimatha, 
was a great surprise to the Society, and so 
they forgot to say anything more about Mrs. 
Eddy’s poem. 

The Society were busily engaged in their 
work, when they were interrupted by little 
Kittie Pert saying, dess it’s doin’ to wain, 
ze c’owds is barkin’.” 

Mrs. Loomis hurried the Society out to tea 
and they had not more than finished eating 
before dark lowering clouds were seen hurry- 
ing across the sky, while lurid flashes of light- 
ning lit up the distant hills, and nearer, and 
nearer came the rumbling of the thunder. 

The Society adjourned at once and hastened 
homeward, inwardly wondering, as they 
went, what Mrs. Eddy’s poem could mean. 
And no doubt they are wondering still. 

They all regretted deeply that they were 
interrupted in their talk and longed for the 
time of the next ^^Meetin’ ” to arrive. 


32 


SIXTH MEETIN’. 


DISCUSSING THE LECTURE. 

^^And why shouldn’t it be in our minds?” 
cried Mrs. Griggs in an unusually loud tone 
of voice for her. ‘‘I’d like to know how peo- 
ple of any brains could sit there and listen 
for two whole hours to such a lingo as that 
was. Why you couldn’t tell head or tail on’t 
to save ye.” 

“I could make most of it out easy enough,” 
said Mrs. Dean. “I thought some parts was 
real impressive.” 

“So did I,” said Fanny Dunlavy, and she 
smiled one of her most innocent little smiles. 
The Society knew very well that Fanny had 
been up to some mischief and they all listened 
very attentively when Mrs. Dean asked her, 
“What impressed you most?” 

“Oh, nothin’ much, only when she was de- 
clarin’ there was neither heat nor cold, I jist 
opened the window to the right of the plat- 
form, so the wind could come in good and 


33 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

strong. She looked like as if she was warm, 
and I jist wanted to see, so that if it was so, 
I wouldn’t have to be careful in the future 
about sittin’ in drafts. Jist about the time 
she got to the fallacy and error of catchin’ 
cold, she sneezed out good and proper, and by 
the time she got through discussin’ drafts she 
was real hoarse and very figity. This little 
test fully satisfied me and I rose up and put 
down the window. It wasn’t much, but it 
was real impressive,” said Fanny. 

‘Tt seemed to me that the poor woman had 
a deal to contend with,” said Mrs. Leander 
Loomis, whose sympathetic nature was so 
well cultiA^ated, that it flowed out toward any 
body; even to people who did not approve of 
sympathy any more than they did of any 
other kind o’ error. 

“I just felt plumb sorry for her, when she 
was a makin’ that point about there bein’ no 
such thing as pain. For God was the creator 
of all, and was All; therefore there was no 
sensation in matter. It seemed like fate or 
somethin’ was agin’ her, for when she brought 
her hand across her heart to indicate the joy 

34 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


she felt when she found there was no sensa- 
tion in matter, there happened to be a mean 
pesky pin a stickin’ straight up in the trim- 
in’ of her waist, and it run plump into her 
hand and dug a great crooked gouge. I heard 
the little ^ugh!’ that escaped her, for I set 
close, and it was all the poor thing could do 
to keep from breakin’ down; for she had 
catched cold and hurt her hand and the audi- 
ence was out of harmony with her, even if she 
did say that ‘all was love and joy and har- 
mony,’ it wasn’t, and I felt plumb sorry for 
her, and told her so too, just as soon as the 
thing was out.” 

“Oh Mrs. Loomis, you didn’t, did you? You 
didn’t darst tell her that you were sorry for 
her after all she had said about there bein’ no 
such thing as sorry, did you?” asked a half 
dozen of her neighbors in one breath. 

“And wasn’t I jist sayin’ I did?’ replied 
Mrs. Loomis. 

“Oh what did she say and how did she take 
it?” asked Mrs. Griggs. 

“Oh she jist smiled and said ‘Thanks aw- 
fully, I know what you mean ; you are a very 


35 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


sympathetic person, you do not mean to, but 
you weaken motive and do much to propagate 
error. You are too sympathetic; I was once 
so myself.’ ^Indeed,’ said I, ^I’m very sorry 
you got over it; it’s a grace I’ve prayed and 
striven for a long time,’ sez I, who am the 
mother of so many.” 

‘Was that all?” asked Mrs. Stillman. 

“Laws, wasn’t that enough?” giggled 
Libby Brewster, who would have as soon 
thought of bearding the lion in his den as 
talking to a female lecturer from “Bosting.” 

“I’d ’a given a great deal to have heard 
what the Minister’s wife was a sayin’ to her,” 
said Fanny, “but I couldn’t get close enough 
for others wanted to hear too.” 

“I heard,” said Mirandy. “I was right by 
her, and proper proud I am of her too.” 

“Dew tell!” said Aunt Arimatha, felling a 
seam. 

“Well the Lecturer came up to be intro- 
duced to Mrs. Earnest, and as soon as she 
was, she said: ‘I understand that you are the 
Minister’s wife; that your husband pretends 
to be the spiritual leader of these people.’ 

36 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

‘My husband is pastor of the Barleyville 
Church/ said Mrs. Earnest, like as if she was 
proud of it.” 

“And well she might be,” said half a dozen. 
“We pay |650.00 a year and there ain’t am 
other village in the country pays more’n 
1600.00.” 

“But go on Mirandy, what did she say 
then?” asked Mrs. Griggs. 

“She jist half closed her eyes, and bent her 
head and said with a deep sorry accent, 
‘When the blind lead the blind both fall in 
the ditch.’ ‘Well I guess it won’t hurt them 
any according to your way of thinking,’ said 
Mrs. Earnest, a trifle quick for a Minister’s 
wife. The Lecturer pretended not to hear, 
and began again. ‘He surely has no influence 
for good in this community, or a man 
wouldn’t get up in a public meeting and in- 
terrupt a lady.’ ‘My husband is not to blame 
if “God has chosen the weak things of this 
earth to confound the mighty.” ” 

“What was meant by that?” asked Mrs. 
Pert, for the Deacon had been so sick that 
she could not attend the lecture. 


37 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

Jim Barlow got up during the lec- 
ture when she was talkin’ about the inability 
of fire to burn the believer and said, ^Is that 
so neow? kin a Chrystyun Syantist put thur 
han’ on a stuve an’ not git burnt?’ was a 
saying,’ says she, ^that it is possible for mind 
to rise triumphant in its might, to take the 
throne and rule and gnide in and over the 
lives of all; to hold sway over matter, so that 
cold can not freeze nor heat burn the subject 
who is willing to obey the mandates of ^Sy- 
ance,’ and throw off the sheckels of error that 
binds him a cowering slave to circumstance.’ 
^Do you mean,’ said Jim Barlow, ^that fire 
won’t burn ye?’ mean,’ said she, inter- 
ruptin’ him and lookin’ mad. ‘But I mean 
to know,’ says he, gittin’ excited. ‘Come on 
old lady and put yer han’ on the stuve; I’ll 
hold mine there as long as you will; come on, 
it won’t hurt you mum, you’re a b’leever, and 
mebby it won’t hurt me, and mebby it will; 
but I’ll try it fer the good o’ the cause.’ 

“Of course we know’d he didn’t know any 
better, bein’ simple in his mind. Finally Mr. 
Stillman and Mr. Dean got him to sit down 


38 


/ 

THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

and be quiet. But he says he is going to try 
it, and I am afeard he will, and mebby ruin 
his hands, not bein’ smart in his mind.” 

^^So that is what our Minister’s wife meant, 
was it, when she spoke of the weak things of 
this earth confounding the mighty?” 

‘‘Yes that was it, and proper glad I am she 
said it,” continued Mirandy. 

“The rest of you git some fun out o’ this 
new business, but I don’t. It’s a mighty 
serious matter when your own brother’s wife 
gits a set o’ notions like them, and don’t do 
nothin’ but ponder on ’em night and day. I 
guess I’ll have a sorry time of it for awhile, 
fer the lecturer is goin’ to stay with Elisabeth 
two or three weeks, and of course I’ll have 
the w^ork to do, and I expect it’ll take as 
much chicken and pie and cake to keep the 
table a goin’ as if they was real individual 
bein’s instead of small billows on the great 
Ocean of Genus-Homo.” 

“Well speakin’ of chicken reminds me I’d 
better git to the kitchen or mine ’ll be a mass 
of coals if they ain’t already,” said Mrs. 
Griggs. “You may come out and help if you 

39 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

want to/’ she said smiling at Fanny, who 
always seemed to be ready at such times for 
her sewing was all folded and pinned ready 
for Aunt Arimatha to put in the basket. 
The Society had such a splendid supper at 
Mrs. Griggs’ that w’^hen they sat down to it 
they forgot all about the discussion of things 
^^Syantiffic” and enjoyed the things material. 

The Society soon adjourned, but they did 
not forget to fill a large basket and take to 
the parsonage, for they knew that some of the 
Minister’s family must be sick or else they 
had company, for Mrs. Earnest was always 
present to preside if something did not hap- 
pen to keep her away. 


40 


SEVENTH MEETIN’. 


THE LECTURER PRESENT. 

come in! Do!” cried Mrs. Pert with 
unusual emphasis, as half of the Sewing So- 
ciety arrived simultaneously. 

The laying aside of wraps and the exchang- 
ing of greetings had hardly subsided, when 
they were thrown into an unusual commotion 
of feeling by the arrival of Mrs. Pickens and 
the lecturer from Boston, followed now and 
then by late arrivals, each noticeably vexed 
that for one more week at least they must re- 
frain from discussing the all absorbing topic 
of interest in Barleyville. 

But as the unexpected usually happens the 
lecturer opened the subject by saying ab- 
ruptly to the hostess: 

donT remember your face; did I have the 
pleasure of seeing you at the lecture last 
week?” 

regret to say that I was not present. I 
desired very much to go, but the Deacon was 

41 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

suffering with a terrible sick headache, and I 
could not leave him.’’ 

^^Ah! how erroneous, how unnecessary,” 
exclaimed the lecturer tragically. 

do not quite understand,” said Mrs. Pert, 
blushing perceptibly. 

^^And that is just the trouble with the great 
masses of the people, they do not understand; 
they simply will not understand.” 

^^They might if they were properly ex- 
plained to.” 

Everybody looked up, for the Minister’s 
wife had spoken. 

do not object to explaining my doctrine; 
I am more than willing to do so whenever an 
occasion presents itself. Our hostess referred 
to the condition so often found among unbe- 
lievers and characterized by them as sick 
headache, one of the most erroneous and un- 
necessary conditions in the world and the 
easiest to cure.” 

At this very interesting and inopportune 
moment I was compelled to leave the meet- 
ing, and calling the Secretary aside I told her 
what I had been doing, and asked her to 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


kindly keep a perfect record of the happen- 
ings and discussions of the meeting for me. 

And she did it so carefully, and in such an 
interesting manner that not even a sentence 
was lost, and moreover she was so original in 
her comments that the following records are 
nearly taken from her book: 

was turribly upset by our most intelli- 
gent member askin’ me to keep track o’ the 
doin’s in Barley ville while she was away; it 
was somethin’ to be proper proud of, and I’m 
a goin’ to do it — but land, I expect it ’ll be a 
sight o’ trouble, an’ jes’ like enough she’ll 
work it up into a story o’ sum kind, they say 
she’s gittin’ plumb carried away with sich do- 
in’s and is tryin’ to be an orther; but land, I 
don’t believe it, and she raised right here in 
Barley ville. But land, she won’t git much 
help out o’ me if I don’t git to writin’ down 
somethin’ besides my own ideas.” 

The lecturer had jes’ got done talkin’ to 
Mrs. Pert when Mrs. Earnest says: 

would like to ask if you deny that there 
is any such thing as sick headache?” 
do, most assuredly.” 


43 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

^^Then may I ask how you can cure a thing 
that does not exist?’’ 

^‘You may,” said the lecturer, with the most 
seriphic smile. 

have,” said the Minister’s wife, almost 
petulantly. 

^^Indeed!” said she, lookin’ more seriphic 
than ever. But our Minister’s wife was not 
a goin’ to be turned aside by no sich tactics, 
so she said point blank in a way to be under- 
stood : 

^‘How can you relieve a condition that does 
not exist?” 

She figited some and then said: 

^^When you bring a light into a dark room 
you do not destroy the darkness, but dispel 
it.” 

^^But you said at the lecture that there was 
no such thing as light and darkness; now you 
say that light dispels darkness. How can 
you harmonize those statements?” 

^^All is love and harmony and joy and 
peace,” replied the lecturer in an’ awe-some 
an’ worshipful voice. An’ our Minister’s wife 
clear spiled the quilt block she was a cuttin’’ 


44 


THE BARLBYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

out, she was so disgusted. But Mrs. Huffman 
that had lately been remembered in her 
brother’s will an’ was so set up over it she 
didn’t go to the sewin’ circle or church either 
very often, looked rale impressed, an’ I seen 
the lecturer a lookin’ at her an’ I knowed that 
minute that Syance hed got another convert 
in Barleyville. But Mrs. Pert was cured o’ 
the hankerin’ she hed for it, an’ said right out 
she should continue to care for the Deacon 
whenever he had the sick headache, whether 
it was a delusion or not. For she considered 
it a wife’s dooty to care for a sick husband 
and not go gallivantin’ off to lectures even if 
she wants to. 

^^As to a wife’s duty,” said the lecturer in 
sublime axents, ^‘there is no people or race of 
people that set a higher value on wifely duty 
than the Church of Christ Scientist; we even 
recognize the female attribute in the God- 
head. Oh the mystery of science and health 
with a key to the scriptures. Oh the mystery 
of the light and life revealed to Mrs. Eddy.” 

will admit that there is plenty of mys- 
tery in her books — or fog — or whatever you 


45 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

call it, for I have read them and they are all 
fog to me.’’ 

felt the same at first, they were so far 
above me. Last summer I was in Colorado 
and we went to see Pike’s Peak, but it was so 
wrapped in fog that we could not see it, but 
it was there. Bye and bye the fog disap- 
peared, and there stood the magnificent 
mountain. 

‘L\h indeed,” said Mrs. Earnest, ^^and I 
have seen a valley full of fog, and bye and 
bye it lifted only to reveal stagnant pools 
whose miasma poisoned the atmosphere of 
the whole valley. And through the fog of 
Mrs. Eddy’s writings I see no mountain of 
scriptural truth, but the poison miasma of 
pantheism covered and hidden by beautiful 
sentences, half truths and borrowed meta- 
phor, but there with all its dangerous ten- 
dencies lies the pit into which they must in- 
evitably fall who as blind leaders lead the 
blind, who are both ignorant of the spiritual 
danger into which they are going.” 

I kept wishin’ that Mrs. Pickens would say 
somethin’, but she didn’t, and the lecturer 


46 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


didn’t, and the rest of us didn’t da’st to, so we 
yawned sum an’ sewed sum, then we had tea 
an’ went home all kind o’ disappointed. It 
wasn’t a very entertainin’ meetin’, but we 
was all glad we was there, and proper proud 
we was of our Minister’s wife; she didn’t 
seem a might afeard to talk right up to the 
lecturer from Bosting, an’ I don’t say it to 
boast, but she is the best of the two at it. 


EIGHTH MEETIN’. 


JIM BARLOW BURNS HIS HANDS. 

We jes’ got nicely started in with the meet- 
in’, Mrs. Earnest had read and prayed and we 
was through cnttin’ out and begun bastin’, 
when Fanny Dunlavy come runnin’ in most 
out of breath, a sayin’ “I told you so; I knew 
just how it would be; he up and did it this 
morning before anybody had time to stop 
him.” * 

Who did?” ^^Donewhat?” ^When?” said 
all of us at once, gettin’ up and droppin’ 
everythin’ in our excitement. 

^^Why Jim Barlow,” said Fanny. ^Wou all 
know that I told you that he would.” And 
Fanny glared at us as if we were some how 
to blame for somethin’ or other. 

“Dew set down Fanny,” said Aunt Ari- 
matha, pickin’ up things. “Dew; and tell us 
what yer flustered about.” 

“Well it ’s enough to fluster a saint,” cried 
the excited girl, “and things has no business 

48 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


to be said that will cause such dreadful 
things to happen.’^ 

presume that you refer in some way to 
the harmonies of life and light,” said Mrs. 
Huffman, the new convert — who was out 
again fer a wonder — imitatin’ the high look 
and religious tone of the lecturer from Bos- 
ting. 

‘‘I refer to the horrible happening over at 
Barlow^’s this morning, that has more pain 
and death in it than life and light, according 
to my way of thinking.” 

Do tell us about it we urged, jes’ et up by 
curiosity. Do tell. 

^^Well, Barlow’s butchered yesterday, and 
with all the other work on hand Mrs. Barlow 
didn’t get the lard rendered out, so she put it 
into the kettle early this morning intending 
to get it off in time to come to the Sewing Cir- 
cle this afternoon. You know that she always 
tries to come when it meets here, for she 
doesn’t have far to walk, and she has not been 
very strong lately. Well her lard was all 
done and ready to strain and she was fixing 
the sieve over the jar, when Jim came jabber- 

49 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

ing- something about having a revelation and 
fearing no evil for evil wasn^t and pain 
couldn’t be; then catching sight of the boiling 
lard he cried out, ^Cold can not freeze or fire 
burn?’ and before Mrs. Barlow could reach 
him he plunged both arms elbow deep into 
that kettle of boiling lard.” 

^‘Oh Fanny!” ^‘Mercy!” ^^Oh goodness 
sakes!” ^^Land! O land o’ gracious!” ‘Toor, 
poor boy!” ejaculated the whole Sewin’ Cir- 
cle, just as sorry as they could be. 

‘^Dew tell!” cried Aunt Arimatha tryin’ to 
thread a needle at the point end. will go 
right over at once and see what can be done.” 

And ^Irs. Loomis riz up and put on her bon- 
net. If there is a thing any of us can do come 
right back and let us know, and promisin’ to 
do so Mrs. Loomis left at once. 

guess there isn’t much more to be done,” 
said Fanny. ^^Ma and I have been there ever 
since it happened. Doctor Goodman was 
there and dressed his arms in linseed oil and 
lime water, but he says that the burns are so 
bad that Jim will either die or lose the use of 
his arms. He suffered terribly until the doc- 
50 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

tor gave him quieting powders. I stayed and 
got dinner and did up the work for them. I 
feel so sorry for his mother that it just makes 
me sick.’’ 

^^What did Mrs. Loomis do with the lard?” 
faltered Mrs. Grippenny. 

don’t know and I don’t care; I had some- 
thing else to think of.” 

only hoped that she had not wasted it; 
I would be willing to buy it cheap for soap 
grease, and the Barlows are poor and can’t 
afford to waste things you know.” 

^^Well you had n’t better say anything to 
Mrs. Barlow about it — at least not for quite 
a spell.” 

It w as Mrs. Stillman’s voice, a little harsher 
than we ever heard it before. 

^‘Maybe you could buy Jim’s arms too, if 
they have to take them off,” snapped Fanny, 
who was so nervous she ort ’a bin at home in 
bed. 

^‘Oh, I didn’t mean nothin’ only to be kind 
and help ’em out.” 

And Mrs. Grippenny seein’ the feelin’s she 
had kindled blushed an’ seemed to shrink up 


61 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

littler than ever. The Minister's wife — bless 
her heart — took pity on her an’ changed the 
subject by asking if Mrs. Pickens, or the lec- 
turer, had heard of the accident yet. 

met Mrs. Pickens at the Post Office as I 
came up, and she heard of it, and that’s what 
made me feel so riled up when I first came 
in.” 

Did she act as if she cared? says I. 

^^Cared? She looked at me as if I were 
talking Hebrew, and said, without the least 
bit of feeling, fit was all an error of mortal 
mind.’ Tt was all an error in permitting that 
woman to talk such stuff in a public meeting, 
and she is to blame for this, and so are you,’ 
I said, getting madder and madder. ^You are 
because you brought that woman here.’ But 
I might as well have yipped at the gate post 
for all the interest she manifested in it. She 
only said, admire to be persecuted for 
truth’s sake.’ ^But it is not for truth’s sake, 
it is for the sake of an abominable fad, that’s 
what it is.’ ^You’ll see different some day 
Fanny,’ says she. ^Oh when will truth con- 
quer error?’ ^Never,’ says I, ^as long as fool 

52 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

women go galavanting over the country 
teaching error and calling it truth; not long 
ago, Mrs. Pickens, you would have been first 
to sympathize with the sick and suffering.’ 
‘Yes,’ says she, ruminating like, ‘but I have 
risen above all that now — none of these 
things move me.’ ” 

At this we all looked at Mrs. Huffman, an’ 
she said she could see just how Mrs. Pickens 
felt ; she thought it must be real swell to live 
so far above such common things. 

“It’s strange how quick they get on to that 
new doctrine,” whispered Mrs. Pert, just as 
Mrs. Stillman opened the dining room doors. 
We all stayed, but Fanny; she did not feel 
like eatin’ after so much excitement. We all 
felt kind o’ squamish; it was too bad too, 
for we always git extra good eatin’ at Mrs. 
Stillman’s. 

After the meetin’ adjourned Aunt Arima- 
tha and Mrs. Pert carried another basket full 
to the Amos’s, who got all the more fer our 
lack o’ appetite. 

They likewise took some shirts fer the boys. 
They’re gettin’ along fine now (the Amos’s) 
since the Society takes care o’ them. 


53 


NINTH MEETIN’. 


D. K. RIDES A WHEEL. 

^Well of all the ridiculous performances I 
ever heard tell of in my born days, the ridicu- 
lousest has jest happened!’’ ejaculated Mrs. 
Dean. 

^‘Dew tell,” said Aunt Arimatha cuttin’ out 
a sun bonnet. ^Well you know D. K.?” 

^Well of course I know D. K. Everybody 
knows D. K. Did you ever talk with Mrs. 
Pickens two minutes in yer life without bear- 
in’ o’ D. K.? I never did.” 

That was a turrible long speech for Aunt 
Arimatha, and she broke it off by pilin’ her 
mouth full o’ pins. 

^^Well D. K. has been so carried away by 
^Syance’ that he is now worse than his sister, 
and that’s sayin’ a good deal.” 

thought he kinder give it up after the 
lecture,” said the Deacon’s wife. 

^^Give it up? You catch D. K. givin’ up 
anythin’? You don’t know the Grimeses as 
well as I do,” replied Mrs. Dean. 

54 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

^^Well I do know them — I^ve lived by ’em 
four and twenty years come next Aprile. If 
you’ll tell us what you started out to, I’ll 
quit runnin’ the machine and baste fer a little 
spell,” said the Deacon’s wife, sort o’ encour- 
agin’ like. 

Well, he read some wheres in a Syance 
Maggazine, thet if you’d eliminate all doubt 
frum yer conscious and sub-conscious mind, 
you can jest do any thin’ whatever you set out 
to do. He’s been talkin’ it to me and Nathan 
(Nathan’s Mr. Dean, whispered Mrs. Griggs 
to our Minister’s wife). D. K. hez alius 
wanted to ride a By-Sickle. So he sot too and 
commenced eliminating doubt, and he had 
Nathan order him a new Twentieth Century 
Model, but he come around next day and con- 
tramanded the order, and hed Nathan send 
for a Victor. Fer, said he, ^G’ve gained a 
vict’ry. All doubt is eliminated. With Em- 
erson I can say, ^As fer me I ride.’ ” 

Well, the By-Sickle cum yesterday, and 
Nathan set it up, and D. K. cum down by our 
house to mount. A whole posse o’ boys and 
men cum down to see how it ’d go. And the 


55 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

wimmin cum over to get patterns and other 
errands till the windows was full o’ wimmin 
peekin’ out to see how he’d git on. Mrs. 
Pickens was standin’ by the gate and the 
Healer from Posting was a standin’ by her. 
They was both a smilin’ serene and en- 
couragin’ D. K. to let mind hev’ her perfec’ 
work. 

When Nathan said, ^Wer already, D. K.?” 

The next thing I seen was thet man a 
dingin’ on to the handle bars as if his life 
depended on it, and thet machine was a 
cuttin’ circles and didos to shame a circus 
performer. I 

^^Don’t give up the ship, D. K.,” called Mrs. 
Pickens, heroically. 

^^Eliminate your doubts,” cried the Healer, 
tragically, scootin’ out o’ the way. ‘^Eliminate 
’em immediately.” And I don’t know how ’t 
would have ended if an old yaller rooster 
hadn’t o’ run in front of D. K. before he got 
’em eliminated; but the wheel struck the 
rooster and D. K. went sailin’ endwise into 
the air and struck the Healer in the left side 
as she was a backin’ off, and she tumbled into 
56 





4 


% « 


■ ^ 


»< 






» 


9 






♦ 


I 




4 








#• 


% 


« 







THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


some old barbed wire that was a layin’ there, 
and sich a time as we bed a untanglin’ her 
and D. K. out o’ thet wire. 

And she went into the house a moanin’ and 
a tryin’ to hold her poorty silk dress onto her. 
And a sayin’ it was all on account o’ the per- 
versity of the on lookers whose minds bore 
down too heavy onto poor dear Mr. Grimes. 

And I (who was a tryin’ to stanch the blood 
and pin up the dress) just set myself firm for 
once, and I said: ^^No sich thing; the on 
lookers didn’t hev nothin’ to do with it, and 
they didn’t ask Mr. Grimes nor nobody else 
to git onter a w^heel ’ithout learnin’ how, an’ 
go cavortin’ around knockin’ down ladies in- 
ter barb wire.” 

At thet she swished herself away from me 
and rushed inter her own room. 

An hevin’ my dander up a little I said to 
Mrs. Pickens as I left fer home, ‘Gf you’d hev 
picked up that wire as I suggested yesterday, 
fer fear somethin’ would git hurt on it, this 
wouldn’t hev’ been so bad; but you jist said, 
^Gll wasn’t and evil couldn’t be. Well,” said 
she, still lookin’ serific, ^^Time and truth and 


57 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

light revealed will conquer error.’’ She didn’t 
even act anxious over D. K., who was a layin’ 
on the sofy where the on lookers hed tenderly 
placed him, and where I left him a woebegone 
Victor vankished by a lean ugly old rooster, 
who went and hid hisself under a bush, like 
Elijah in the desert.” 

^^Dew tell,” said Aunt Arimatha, who hed 
used up her mouth full o’ pins. 

‘^Have you heard anything further concern- 
ing Mr. Grimes’ injuries?” asked our Minis- 
ter’s wife gently, and it was answered that 
minute by Fanny Dunlavy, who hed come in 
late, and said as she set down on a cheer 
’ithout takin’ her bunnet off: I can’t 

stay; I’m too mad to stay anywhere.” 

'A"ou mean indignant,” suggested Mrs. 
Pert, glancin’ wisely at our Minister’s wife. 

don’t,” declared Fanny stoutly. said 
mad and meant it too. I’ve just come from 
Mrs. Pickens’ and she and that healer is 
demonstrating over Mr. Grimes, and his head 
is all swelled up, and he’s rambling in his 
talk and groaning awful. I went up to him 
and took hold of his hand and his arm is 


58 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


broken; broken, I tell you; one bone is stick- 
ing through the skin, and he’s hurt very bad 
I know, for his eyes looks like Brother John’s 
did just before he died.” 

And Fanny began to sob and said, ^^Can’t 
noborlv for 

And I knoTved plainer ’n if she’d a told me 
that D. K. Grimes was more to Fanny Dun- 
lav3^ than an ordinary neighbor, though I 
wisely kept it to myself, and set too a tryin’ 
to comfort her. 

will go over,” said the Minister’s wife, 
rollin’ up her sewin’. 

And Fanny loved her from that minute. 
Poorty soon Fanny riz and I see she was a 
tremblin’, so I hurried her off from enquirin’ 
eyes, for I do set great store by Fanny Dun- 
lav3^, bein’ sort o’ tired out over the hap- 
penin’s of the day, we just come to an abrupt 
close, and so we adjourned, for we couldn’t 
git down to sewin’ after Fanny come in. 


59 


TENTH MEETIN’. 


V 

THE sewin’ circle MEETS WITH MRS. EARNEST 
— DISCUSS D. K. AND JIM BARLOW. 

We all got there before the time, for there 
wan’t one of us but what ’d ’a been ashamed 
to be late, when the Circle met with the Min- 
ister’s wife, and we was divided in our curi- 
osity between learnin’ news of the sick folks 
and wonderin’ if Mrs. Earnest could cook as 
good as Mrs. Talkim, our other Minister’s 
wife, and most of us hed kindy hinted to 
each other thet we ort not to expect much 
and ort to be charitable, havin’ learned thet 
she was a graduate of a college, and sort o’ 
givin’ to paintin’ and writin’ o’ po’try and 
sich. 

We all hev gifts differin’,” declared Mrs. 
Loomis to me and Mrs. Pert, ^^and you like 
her well enough to eat her jumbles if they 
was flatter than pancakes, I do believe,” said 
Mrs. Pert, laughin’ good natured like. 

do that,” said the dear soul, “and I shall 
60 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

be expectin’ to find somethin’ to praise if its 
nothin’ but the dishes. Praise don’t cost no 
more than censure, and it’s a lot more up- 
liftin’.” 

You’re right, Mrs. Loomis,” sez I, ^fit don’t 
dew no good to find fault with nothin’, not 
even the weather,” sez I, gittin’ out the quilt 
blocks and carpet rags, and we got to work 
with such vigor thet I most thought they 
wouldn’t be any conversation at all to speak 
of, when Mrs. Pert asked Mrs. Stillman how 
the Amos’s was a gettin’ along. 

^^Oh they’re all right now; the deacon took 
them over some apples and vegetables yisty- 
day, and Mr. Amos was up and around, and 
they all looked more prosperous than com- 
mon. Mr. Stillman ’lowed maybe it was 
Mrs. Pickens’ absent treatment, but old man 
Amos sed it was the doin’s o’ the wimmin in 
the Sewin’ Circle. That’s one case where 
charity has done more good than harm,” said 
Mrs. Stillman, who always stood up for char- 
ity. 

love charity the best of the three 
graces,” she continued, ^^and always have.” 

61 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN' CIRCLE. 

^^Maybe that it’s because you’re better ac- 
quainted with her than you are with her sis- 
ters,” said Fanny, winkin’ at Mrs. Loomis. 
We all knowed that Mrs. Stillman hedn’t a 
mite o’ faith, poor soul, but there wa’n’t a 
one of us would have hinted it fer nothin’. 

^Wou’re right Fanny,” sez she, ^^but it’s 
better to be acquainted with her than none o’ 
the family at all,” sez she, not a mite 
offended. 

^^Oh I know all of them,” said Fanny, 
arphere’s Mrs. Loomis, she is Hope; and Aunt 
Arimatha is Faith; and you’re Charity; and 
the rest of us are your satellites, just revolv- 
ing around you doing w^hat w’e are told to 
do.” 

I do believe Fanny Dunlavy could give 
anybody a dose of castor oil and make ’em 
believe it was honey, if she jist opened up 
them big blue eyes o’ hers and smiled at ’em. 

Jist then little Johnny Rankin brought a 
note to the door fer Fanny; she turned white 
at first when she read it, and then blushed 
and sed, ^ J guess you will have to excuse me 
a minute, as Mrs. Pickens has sent for me to 


62 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


come over, as D. K. has become rational and 
wants to see me real bad.’’ 

I brung out her hat fer her and follered 
her to the door. You’ll be committed afore 
you git back, Fanny,” sez I, and may the Lord 
bless you, child; and when I kissed her I sez, 
Fanny, make him give up ^Syance’ afore you 
promise anythin’,” sez I. 

will,” sez she, certainly will.” And I 
hoped she wouldn’t fergit it, fer the Grimes’s 
air as good at keepin’ a promise as they air 
about keepin’ anythin’ else. 

We talked about the weather and fall 
crops, and most everythin’ we could think of, 
pretendin’ not to be curious about Fanny 
bein’ called over to Pickens’. 

^^Hev’ any of you heard how eTim Barlow is 
since they sent him to the hospital?” sez 
Almira. 

stopped there on my way over,” sez Mrs. 
Loomis, ^^and Mrs. Barlow hed jist got a let- 
ter from the Superintendent and one from 
the nurse. They hed to take off the right arm, 
fer earrysipolis hed set in, or somethin’, I fer- 
got jist what they called it, and the left arm 

63 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

gittin^ along now, but it will be drawed all 
out o’ shape and stiff. His ma feels awful. 
She sed it was bad enough to have him the 
way he was before he was scalded, but he 
was strong and could work good, he could 
have made a livin’ anyhow. But now he’s 
crippled so he won’t never be able to do noth- 
in’.” 

^‘He’ll be helpless now and an awful bur- 
den to his poor old mother,” sez I. 

^^Yes,” sez she, ^^and mebby hev to be sent 
to the home fer the feeble minded.” 

^^Mrs. Barlow sez she’ll never fergive her- 
self fer lettin’ him go to the lecture; if it 
hedn’t have been fer that it would never hev 
happened. But I don’t think that Mrs. Bar- 
low ort to blame herself,” sez I; ‘^she didn’t 
know what the lecture would be like.” 

Jist then Fanny come back and none of us 
asked any questions, but seein’ how anxious 
I was, Fanny sed: K. is better, but his 

arm has gone so long without being set that 
it is in a dreadful condition now. John 
Henry is going to take him to the hospital, 
as Elisabeth and the lecturer objected to let- 

64 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

ting a doctor come to the house, so he thought 
he had best go to the hospital. He still spits 
blood, and I feel dreadful uneasy about him.” 

^^Is there any danger of him a losin’ his 
arm?” sez I. 

^^Well, no. Doctor Goodman thinks not, 
although it may be left stiff in the joint; but 
if it is D. K. says he will rent the farm and 
go back to teaching.” 

^^Oh he^ll make a livin’ all right,” sez Almi- 
ra Jane. ‘^1 believe a Grimes could make 
money if they hadn’t any arms , or legs 
either.” 

^Gt isn’t wicked to make money,” sez I, ^^if 
you make it honorable, and the Grimes’ air 
honorable.” 

Jist then Mrs. Earnest opened the dining 
room doors and I spied Mr. Earnest taken off 
an apern; but whoever got it, him or her, or 
both of ’em, it surprised the society. The 
table was beautiful with dorleys and a bo- 
quet o’ posies, not to be e’t but to be admired, 
but there was enough to be e’t. When Mrs. 
Loomis took a big flakey biscuit she looked 
at Mrs. Pert and winked. 


65 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

There was ham and chicken and vegetables 
and salad and jelly wafers, and cake and 
fruit and salted almonds and the most deli- 
cious chocolate puddin’ with whipped cream, 
and macaroons and cocoanut puffs and home 
made candy, jist like Christmas. 

I was glad of it, and so was all of us, 
though she needn’t to hev gone to so much 
trouble and expense. We didn’t expect it. 

We remarked about it as we went home. 

^^That woman can do more than any one 
woman I ever saw,” sed Fanny. 

^C\nd do it better,” sez I, feelin’ proud. 


ELEVENTH MEETIN’. 


THE HOFFMANS MOVE IN A STORM— BABY HOFF- 
MAN DIES WITH THE CROUP. 

hear the Hoffmans hev bought the Lan- 
caster property,’’ remarked Mrs. Pert soon 
after we had got settled down to a comforta- 
ble we was tackin’ fer Mrs. Barlow, who hed 
been put back dredful in her work by Jim’s 
misfortune. 

^^Yes, that’s so. They have; they made out 
the papers week before last,” replied Mrs. 
Stillman. She was in a position to know, 
Mr. Stillman bein’ the Square and Notorious 
Republic, etcetrey. 

knew they moved last week,” said Fan- 
ny, ^^but I supposed that they had only rented 
the place so the children could go to school 
in town. I saw them driving in, and every- 
thing was just covered with snow, and it be- 
ing the first snowstorm of the season, it did 
look dreadful cold.” 


67 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

^^And it was dreadful cold.” And Mrs. 
Loomis actually shivered when she sed it. 
“And I knew there hedn’t been a fire in thet 
house all fall, and I thought they ’d be half 
froze’ afore they could git the stoves set up 
and a fire made. So I sent Dan over right off 
to tell Mrs. Hoffman and the children to run 
right over to my house and stay until the men 
folks got it het up over there. But she sent 
word back thet it wouldn’t be necessary to 
bother me. I supposed right off mebby she 
didn’t feel togged up and hated to come, so I 
put my shawl over my head and went myself 
to git her. ^Law me, Louisa,’ sez I, half out 
o’ breath, don’t stand onto no ceremony with 
me; come right over jist as ye be. Anybody 
knows you can’t hev’ on yer best when you’re 
moovin’, and you must be tired and half 
froze,’ sez I, ‘and the children are cold, too.’ ” 

“Oh no,” sez she, “I am neither tired nor 
cold; the time was when I would have 
thought myself both,” sez she, lookin’ weary 
enough to drap. Then it all come over me in 
a minute that the reason she didn’t come 
was because she thought it would be incon- 
68 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

sistent with her new doctrine. “Oh shaw, 
Louisa,” sez I, “come on; it don^t make no 
difference whether you^re tired or cold; I 
know it ’ll be more comfortable over there 
for a spell.” “Es do, mama; es do,” pleaded 
little Elsie. “Oh no, dear; mama isn’t cold.” 
“Es it is told mama, ossy told; es do, mama.” 
“No, Elsie,” sed Mrs. Hoffman, and I knew 
better than to urge her any farther; but I 
sed, “let Elsie go over with me, Louisa; you 
know your ma and me were like sisters, and 
I never bed no girls, and I do love ’em; it 
would be a real treat to hev’ her over ’till 
bed time; then I’d bring her back.” Louisa 
hesitated, and little Elsie came over and took 
my hand and sed, “me doin’ to dit warm 
now.” But that ended it. Louisa set herself 
and sed, “no, Elsie, you must stay with me. 
I am afraid, Mrs. Loomis, that the child will 
git the inception of an error if I let her go. 
You know early impressions on the mind 
always are hard to overcome; I realize it 
more than ever, since I hev’ realized thet 
mind was all. No, I guess she hadn’t better 
go; she might git an inception of error.” 

69 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

shaw, Louisa,” sez I; ^^she bed better 
git it than to git her death o^ cold stayin^ 
here, and she’s sure to,” sez I, ^^for her little 
hands air like ice.” But it didn’t do no good 
to argy, and as I hed left bread in the oven I 
hed to go back. But I soon sent Dan over 
with a basket o’ hot rolls and some butter 
and honey and a pot o’ bilin’ coffee already 
creamed. I’ve moved, and I know how ac- 
ceptable a bite o’ hot victuals air, and how 
hard it is to git ’em when you don’t know 
where anythin’ is. 

don’t know as you needed to cream it,” 
sez Mrs. Grippenny, regretfully; cream’s 
scase this season, and butter’s a powerful 
good price.” 

don’t know as she needed to send any- 
thing,” sez Fanny, ^‘but the milk of human 
kindness in her character is not the skim- 
milk variety.” 

^^It shorely ain’t,” giggled Libby. 

^^And she didn’t let that little Elsie go 
with you?” mused Mrs. Stillman. ‘^How 
strange; Louisa Hoffman used to be the kind- 
est hearted mother, almost too indulgent at 
times.” 


70 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

expect it^s because she got that pile 
money when her brother Silas died,” sed Al- 
mira Jane. 

^^No,” sez Mrs. Loomis, ‘^the bible sez 
money’s the root of all evil; but money 
wasn’t at the root o’ this; it’s the fruit o’ this 
new doctern so many’s been carried away 
with lately.” 

‘ Jt’s a wonder some o’ em ain’t carried out 
o’ existence,” Mrs. Griggs added, cornin’ in 
out o’ the hall, where she hed been takin’ off 
her wraps. She was dredful late fer her. 

^ J guess they air all over to Hoffman’s to- 
day to some doin’s o’ theirs. As I come by I 
seen most all o’ ’em, and they acted awful 
funny. I stopped to speak to Mrs. Pickens, 
but she didn’t hev much to say, so I come on. 
As I come by I seen ’em a takin’ in a big 
box thet looked like a coffin box, but I sup- 
posed it was somethin’ they hed left over to 
the farm when they moved in.” 

We all looked at the speaker. Mrs. Nor- 
man hardly ever sed anythin’. 

^L^Lir you sure it looked like thet?” sez I, 
hatin’ even to mention the name. 


71 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

sez she, did, very much; but I 
hevn’t heard of any ’em bein’ sick.” 

sez I, ^^neither hev I, and surely no- 
body could be very sick here and none of us 
not hear about it.” 

“Miranda told me yistyday,” sed Libby, 
“thet Mrs. Pickens said Elsie Hoffman bed a 
claim, and she was givin’ her treatments, and 
if she didn’t overcome the error soon she 
would send for the Heeler from Parksburg, 
thet bein’ the nearest Heeler.” 

“Oh, law me! law me!” sez I. “Then El- 
sie’s sick; they call it a claim to be sick.” 

“I ain’t surprised,” sed Mrs. Loomis; “I’ve 
been so worried about that child I couldn’t 
sleep; I can jist hear her sayin’ over and over, 
‘Es do, mama; es do; I’m told.’ ” 

“Poor thing; Louisa ort to ’ve knowed bet- 
ter,” sez I. “All her children air subjec’ to 
croup. I jist expect it begun croup and run 
into newmony; that’s the way those children 
air most every winter. Many’s the time I’ve 
gone over and made onion poultices fer their 
lungs, and greased them with goose grease, 
and Louisa know’d how; I’ve show’d her lots 
o’ times.” 


72 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

^^Yes, but she wouldn’t ’ve done it,” offered 
Mrs. Pert. ^‘She’d ’ve been too set.” 

^^Oh, I suppose she would ’ve done some- 
thin’ in case o’ croup,” sez I. 

“I don’t think so,” sed Mrs. Loomis. ^‘She 
hed too sot a look when she wouldn’t let Elsie 
come home with me.” 

^^But how earnest you’re all talkin’,” sez 
Mrs. Stillman, ^^when you haven’t anything 
to talk about but surmises.” 

^^We jist as well talk,” sez I. ^^We’ll get this 
comfortable done long afore it’s time to quit; 
it’s rolled twice now, sez I, ^^justifyin’ myself 
like they did in the parable.” At thet every- 
body laughed but Libby, and she giggled. 
Jist then Mirandy come in lookin’ worri’t 
like, and sed: don’t see how you can 

laugh; I feel more like settin’ dowm and cry- 
in’.” 

^AYhy! Why!” sez five or six o’ us at onct. 
^AYhat’s the matter?” 

“W’y, Elsie Hoffman’s dead.” 

^^Dead?” sez Mrs. Loomis, beginnin’ to cry. 

^^Why, Miranda, surely tain’t so?” 

^ Jt is so. Oh, my sakes, what are we com- 


73 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

in^ to? Elisabeth wouldn’t have told me if 
she could ’ve helped it. She died last night, 
and they’re goin’ to bury her this afternoon. 
Elisabeth is goin’ now.” 

^^Oh, the dear, sweet child; and I loved her 
so much.” And Mrs. Loomis give way and 
sobbed, and we all felt so bad we didn’t know 
what to do, but we kept on workin’ kind o’ 
mechanical like. 

^‘Yes,” said Mirandy, ^^she took cold when 
they moved, and hed croup, and then I guess 
newmony set in, for Elisabeth said she hed a 
claim on her lungs, and I hev good reason to 
know what a claim is.” 

Ain’t they goin’ to hev no funeral?” sez I. 

^They have a service they read, and a song 
or two to sing; they practiced over at John 
Henry’s; but it ain’t a very comfortin’ ser- 
vice.” 

^ J thought they sed nobody could die,” sez 
Mrs. Pert. 

‘^They don’t say she’s dead; they say she 
hez jist passed away,” sez Mirandy" 

^^Well, I can’t see the difference,” sez I. 
Jist then I looked out and saw the people 
turnin’ the corner east o’ the Post Office. 


74 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

the funeral,” sez Fanny, and we got 
up and looked out o’ the winder and seen ’em 
goin’, jist ten or a dozzen o’ ’em toward the 
eemitary. Most all o’ us was cryin’, and Mrs. 
Earnest sez, ‘^Let us pray.” And her heart 
overflow’ed in fervent and sympathetic peti- 
tion to our Heavenly Father for the bereaved, 
and all the more because they hed neglected 
the means at hand fer the sick one. It was a 
tender, earnest prayer, and I felt that God 
would hear it and in His own good time re- 
move this delusion from our native village. 

It was gittin late and we were all glad thet 
we had told Mrs. Barlow previous thet we 
couldn’t stay to lunch, and we all dispersed 
and went home quietly, and most of us a 
prayin’ fer our afflicted neighbor in her tur- 
rible delusion. 


75 


TWELFTH MEETIN’. 

ABNER GROVE TAKES “SYANTIFIC” TREATMENT 
FOR CANCER. 

We was all kind o’ late and flustered, and 
all talkin’ to once; we got our wTaps off, but 
meanwhile purty near every one of us hed 
asked some body else if they’d heard about 
it? And who it was? For that very after- 
noon Mrs. Earnest hed sent a note sayin’ she 
wouldn’t be back in time fer the meetin’, fer 
they was a goin’ to a weddin’ and didn’t 
know jist when they’d be back. 

weddin’?” sez I. ^^A real live weddin’, 
right here under our very noses, and we none 
the wiser?” 

Fanny laughed and sniffed; then she said: 
^^You must be mistaken; I can not smell spice 
nor anything nice; and I am sure that I could 
if there was a wedding right under my nose.”^ 

‘^Oh, Fanny,” sez I, ‘^you do beat all. I 
wish you’d hurry and count them quilt blocks 
and see how many there is now, and kind o’” 
76 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

pull and stretch them a little, fer some folks 
takes their seams so deep.’’ 

^‘That’s me,” sez she, grinning; “I’m so gen- 
erous.” 

“And some takes them too narrer,” sez I. 

“That’s Mrs. Grippenny,” sez she, still 
grinnin’. “She’s so saving.” 

“Why didn’t you say stingy, Fanny?” said 
Mrs. Grippenny, smilin’ up at her; it was the 
first smile that I ever see her smile in my life. 

“I began by bein’ savin’,” said Mrs. Grip- 
penny. “We began awful pore, Hiram and 
me, and skimped and saved to git a home; 
now I guess we’ve got more’n we need, but 
early habits ain’t easy broke off, and so we 
jist keep on skimpin’ and savin’, and it don’t 
seem as if we know how to enjoy what we’ve 
got. Don’t you never go to gittin’ savin’, 
Fanny, not too savin’; I shouldn’t like to hev 
you.” 

I hed never heard her use thet much lan- 
guage all at once before, and I never hed a 
view from her side before, either; and I 
know’d she sed it because she loved Fanny 
Dunlavy, and I ain’t yet and I never will hev’ 


77 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

quite so small an opinion of Mrs. Grippenny 
again. 

Jist then Mrs. Loomis asked if we bed ever 
heard of Abner Grove, that lived over across 
the river and up in the hills some wheres 
near La Croix. 

^^No,” sez I, hevn’t; is he sick?’’ I sup- 
posed he was, or Mrs. Loomis wouldn’t hev 
been interested in him. 

have, often,” sez Mrs. Stillman, ^‘if you 
mean that young Grove that has a cancer on 
his face.” 

^^Yes,” sez Mrs. Loomis, mean him. 
‘^Isn’t he an awful lookin’ sight, too, poor 
man! with one whole side o’ his face e’t off 
with it?” 

‘^Dew tell,” sez Aunt Arimatha, shiverin^ 
like. 

‘^Law me,” sez I, ^^there ain’t nothin’ I 
dread like cancers. I’ve always been afeard 
they run in our family; my Great Aunt Mar- 
tha Babbitt’s first cousin, Emiline Parker, 
died with one.” 

^^Well, this young Grove was over to Pick- 
ens’s all last week, and he’s took up Syance,” 
continued Mrs. Loomis. 


78 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


Then we all got interested, 
on,” sez I. 

^^Well, he sez now thet he ain’t got any 
cancer. He hed the coverin’ all off of it and 
was goin’ down street, when me and Mrs. 
Pert come up onexpected, and sich an awful 
sight I hope never to see again to my dyin’ 
day. All the teeth showed, and the tongue! 
And Oh! I couldn’t tell how awful it did 
look.” 

^^Did Mrs. Pert see it?” sez I. 

‘^Oh yes,” sez she, ^^Mrs. Pert come purty 
near faintin’, and she couldn’t seem to git 
it off her mind after we got home.” 

Two or three of us looked sorry and shook 
our heads. Mrs. Loomis looked at me and I 
nodded. Then she said: 

^^Poor, dear woman; I hope nothin’ will 
happen, but it was the awfulest sight I ever 
see in my life.” 

“I saw him yesterday morning,” sed Fan- 
ny; ^^he was just going home, and the cold 
air on his face very nearly killed him; one 
could easily see that it did, and papa offered 
him his scarf. T ain’t cold,’ he said. T am 


79 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

linin’ now to deny error. Mr. Dunlavy, I^ve 
an awful delusion, and I can’t seem to over- 
come it, but Mrs. Pickens sez I will soon. She 
is givin’ me absent treatments now.’ And he 
just trembled, he was in so much pain. ^Oh, 
Abner Grove!’ exclaimed papa. ^You haven’t 
taken up Christian Science, have you? You 
ought not to have that raw face exposed to 
this cold air.’ G did kinder want to keep 
the cloth over it,’ and there were tears in his 
eyes, ^but she said thet I mustn’t, it wouldn’t 
go away if I kept a believin’ it Tvas there.’ 
‘Why, it is there,’ I said, and your believing 
it is, or is not, will not make any difference. 
The best thing for you to do is to keep as 
comfortable as you possibly can the short 
time you will have on earth and prepare for 
the home where they have no such afflic- 
tions.’ ‘No, Fanny, I ain’t goin’ to give in; 
I’m goin’ to keep denyin’ error’ ‘No, I 
thank’ee, Mr. Dunlavy, I won’t take the 
scarf; thank’ee jist the same.’ And he drove 
on without it.” 

We was still talkin’ about Abner Grove, 
when Mrs. Earnest came in; we all began 
80 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

askin’ her at once who hed been married, 
etcetrey. 

^‘Why, Mrs. Earnest, how peaked you look, 
and pale; be ye sick?” asked Mrs. Loomis. 
And we all looked up and seen our Minister’s 
wife almost ready to faint. 

am sick — sick at my stomach — and sick 
at heart — and when I tell you, you will un- 
derstand. The wedding today was out at 
Groves’, near La Croix.” 

We looked at each other, but did not in- 
terrupt. 

^^The girl’s brother has the most dreadful 
cancer, I can not describe it. I did not see 
him until we went down to dinner, and he 
was placed opposite me. Oh, I never suffered 
so in all my life; I still feel so sick that I 
don’t feel as though I could eat another bite 
while I live. I believe everybody there was 
sick. They had everything that you could 
think of to eat, but how could we eat it?” 

We didn’t answer, fer we didn’t know noth- 
in’ to say. 

^^Mrs. Grove came to me just before I left 
and explained, with tears in her eyes, that 

81 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


Abner had just taken up Christian Science, 
and insisted upon acting the way he did, just 
as if there was not anything the matter with 
him. She said that he firmly believed that if 
he did, Mrs. Pickens would cure him. He 
says, ^Kemove the delusion;’ he won’t say 
cure. At first I refused, and then the poor 
boy plead so hard I could not say no any 
longer. It’s little enough we can do for him, 
poor boy, and he hasn’t long to stay with us.” 
And the mother broke down and cried, she 
was so sorry that he had got such a notion. 
I consoled her as best I could. But what are 
we coming to? They are increasing every 
day in numbers. I thought that Barlow 
affair w^ould stop it. Is it a craze? Or is it 
hypnotism? Or what?” 

^^It must be an or what,” laughed Fanny. 

^‘No, I won’t stay for tea, Mrs. Griggs,” 
said our Minister’s wife. will appoint the 
social committee, and then I must go. Mrs. 
Loomis will explain.” 

And I do declare, just our afternoon’s talk 
upset our stomachs so that there was mighty 


82 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

nigh as much on the table when we riz up as 
when we sot down. 

^‘So much better for the Amos’s,” sez Mrs. 
Stillman, as we put on our wraps. 

^^That basket is dreadful heavy, Fanny; 
I’ll go with you and help carry it,” sez Mrs. 
Loomis, and she did. 


83 


THIRTEENTH MEETIN’. 


THE SYANTISTS TRY TO TAKE POSSESSION OF 
THE CHURCH. 

Every body was so agitated and yet kind o^ 
pleased lookin’ as they begun to arrive by 
twos and threes, all talkin’ kind o’ confiden- 
tial. And my! nearly every member was out, 
partly because we met at Dunlavy’s, and 
partly because we wanted to git together and 
talk things over. There was sixteen present 
when Mrs. Earnest read the chapter, and two 
or three come in while she was prayin’— I 
don’t mean clear in — ^jist into the entry out 
o’ the cold, and then come into the settin’ 
room afterwards. Our Minister’s wife hez 
got mighty good sense; if it’s cold out and 
anybody comes into the entry while she is 
prayin’, she jist shortens up and groups all 
the heathens together, instead o’ sayin’ our 
missionaries in Asia, and our schools in 
China, and our workers in Japan, and our 
laborers in Africa, and our sufferin’ 
84 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

representatives in Turkey, she jist sez 
^Bless our work at home and abroad,’ and 
T tell ’em that the Lord knows jist what she 
means. But two or three o’ the wimmen 
think Mrs. Talkim’s way was more devotion- 
al, and most o’ ’em like to see the Minister’s 
wife devotional and some different than 
other wimmen. Mrs. Earnest is different, 
Ave all feel it, but the difference is not like the 
difference o’ most Minister’s wives. I can’t 
tell jist what it is myself, but I love her for 
it, anyhow\ Fanny sed: 

^^She has the divine gift of suiting herself 
to her surroundings. She is a child with 
children, but not childish; a young woman in 
age, and loved by all the young folks; but the 
old people thinks that she is one of them.” 

^^Yes,” sez I, ‘^she always makes you feel 
that she is one o’ ye, but some like a more 
distant way — a kind o’ haughty, devotional 
bearin’. But we’ve learned that she’s got 
lots o’ sense in her head. It all come out jist 
like she thought it would about the church,” 
and then we all remembered what she hed 
said about it. 


85 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

sez Mrs. Loomis, when we got to 
talkin’ about it, “they had a mighty nice lit- 
tle scheme on hand, didn’t they?” 

“Yes,” sez I, “but it didn’t work.” 

“It worked all right as far as any body 
around here was concerned,” snapped Mrs. 
Stillman. 

“What do you mean?” sez I. 

“She means what she says,” put in Fanny. 
“Mr. Earnest stood alone last Sunday against 
the trustees and deacons, and even the State 
Superintendent of Missions.” 

“Why, Fanny,” sez I, “you must be mis- 
taken. I am sure that none of us wanted 
them to come in and git possession o’ the 
church property.” 

“I know that we didn’t, but it is just what 
we would have let them do if Mr. Earnest 
hadn’t taken the stand he did.” 

“What I didn’t like,” sed Mrs. Stillman, 
“was the State Superintendent writing to the 
trustees to let them have the church. I say 
it was a burning shame, and I never will be- 
lieve in that man again.” 

“Perhaps he didn’t understand the condi- 
86 . 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

tions at all/^ sez Mrs. Earnest. suppose 
that he thought that the Christian Scientists 
here were like they are in so many villages, 
only a little handful that could do no harm. 
I am sure that he laughed at Mr. EarnesCs 
letter about the matter, and I am afraid that 
Mr. Earnest is so hurt over the reply that he 
received that he will never explain it to 
him.’^ 

^^Then somebody ought to, and I will if I 
ever see him again,’’ said Fanny. 

^^He did wrong, just the same,” maintained 
Mrs. Stillman, who had to have pretty strong 
convictions before she’d stand up fer ’em like 
that. 

^^Yes,” sez Mrs. Earnest, will admit that 
it was very wTong, and put my husband in a 
bad light before his people; yet I do not like 
to think that it was an intentional wrong 
upon his part. We must not be too severe in 
our judgment, or allow ourselves to become 
prejudiced against him.” 

^Trejudiced nothing!” sez Fanny. “I am 
not prejudging him; an after judgment is all 
right, and I should think that you would be 
vexed with him if any body would.” 


87 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

was vexed; at first I felt positively dis- 
gusted with him; then I considered that he 
had a hard place to fill, and knows little or 
nothing about the conditions or needs of 
these smaller places.” 

‘^Then I would like to know why he don’t 
find out before he advises. A doctor gener- 
ally knows something about a disease before 
he prescribes for it,” sez Mrs. Stillman. 

^^Not always;” and Mrs. Earnest smiled. 
^^Mr. Earnest and I were driving past Mr. 
Volland’s yesterday, and he was dragging out 
a dead horse. ‘Why, Mr. Volland!’ exclaimed 
Mr. Earnest. ‘I see that you have had some 
very bad luck; how did it happen?’ ‘Oh, dot 
Sthorey Ceety dockther, he cure him for de 
wrong disees, so he die.’ ” 

“Dew tell!” sez Aunt Arimatha. 

“Did he say what he was wuth?” sez Mrs. 
Grippenny. And we all laughed. 

But Mrs. Stillman was not to be got off o’ 
the subjec’ with jokes nor nothin’, fer she 
sez: “Yes, and that’s jist the way the Super- 
intendent would ’ve cured this church, too, 
if we’d ’ve taken his advice.” 


88 




THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

^^Speaking of doctors,’’ sez Fanny, re- 
member hearing pa tell about a quack doctor 
that was being examined at an inquest con- 
cerning his treatment of a patient who had 
died. gave him ipecacuana,’ he said. ‘You 
might as well have given him the aurora bo- 
realis,’ said the coroner. ‘Indeed, your honor, 
and that is just what I would have given him 
next, if he hadn’t died.’ ” 

We all laughed ag’in. “What’s the point, 
Fanny?” sez I, who never was good at seein’ 
through jokes. 

“I was only thinking, that if we had taken 
the Superintendent’s advice, and died, he 
would have advised a change of pastors 
next.” 

“Not too hard, Fanny,” sez Mrs. Earnest, 
who hez a forgivin’ spirit as well as good 
sense. 

“Did ye ever see a chicken hen with a 
mixed brood?” asked Mrs. Loomis. 

We hed, but we didn’t jist see her meanin’, 
and waited until she went on with her story. 

“Last summer I hed a few chickens, two or 
three ducks, two turkeys and four little 

89 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

guineas, all hatch at about the same time, 
and I jist put ’em all with one motherly old 
hen. The very best hen on the place if ye 
give her a brood of chickens. But, law; she 
wore herself out raisin’ that mixed brood; 
tryin’ first to keep the ducks out o’ the water, 
and then seein’ how much faster they grew 
than the chickens, she tried to get the chick- 
ens in also, and if she was a settin’ down to 
keep the turkeys and guineas from runnin’ 
all over creation, the ducks would git too 
warm, and when she would rise up to cool 
the ducks the turkeys would start on the run, 
and the guineas would follow the turkeys, 
and the ducks would run for the water 
to cool off and the old hen would only 
be left with her few chickens. Then 
she would run this way and that, try- 
ing to collect her brood again. It was dread- 
ful hard on the old hen, and when autumn 
came she had lost so many feathers and all 
her meat, she was jist a rack o’ bones, and 
when the first freeze came it took that dear 
old hen. I wouldn’t have took a dollar fer 
her. But it’s hard work raisin’ a mixed 
brood.” 


90 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


^‘That is just sez Mrs. Earnest. “Our 
State Superintendent is a very good superin- 
tendent, one of the very best, but his churches 
are a mixed brood.^’ 

“What do you mean?^^ asked Fanny; and 
Libby giggled and giggled. 

“Well,’’ sez Mrs. Earnest, “one church we 
served was made up of Presbyterians, Bap- 
tists, Disciples and Methodists, with just 
three original Congregationalists.” 

“Wasn’t there a few Christians? And are 
Congregationalists more original than other 
people?” asked Fanny. 

“You are, Fanny,” sez Mrs. Earnest, “and 
as I was saying, that church was a mixed 
brood.” 

“Are we a mixed brood? And if we are,' 
who is the turkey, and who is the duck?” 

“Oh, be still, Fanny,” sez I, “and let Mrs. 
Earnest finish explainin’.” 

“Oh, I was through,” sez she. 

Then Mrs. Pert spoke up and said: 

“Will you please explain jist what the 
Syantists intended to do, and what their 
scheme was, and how Mr. Earnest stopped 
it?” 


91 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

^^You know/’ sez she, don’t find out 
much, as the Deacon ain’t much of a talker. 
Well, the first Mr. Earnest knew about it, he 
saw Mrs. Pickens and old Mr. Pickens and 
Mrs. Newlady going into the church with 
buckets and mops, and afterwards he went 
and looked, and they had scrubbed all out.”^ 
Wasn’t it imaginary dirt, and imaginary 
mops?” asked Fanny. 

^^That was on Tuesday afternoon,” contin- 
ued Mrs. Earnest. ^^So Mr. Earnest com- 
menced to look into the matter. He asked 
old Mr. Pickens what they intended to do^ 
and he replied that ^Most of the Scientists 
hed paid liberly toward building the church, 
and they meant to use it.’ ^At what hour do 
you wish it?’ asked my husband. ^We intend 
to begin using it at 3 o’clock in the afternoon.- 
^But,’ said Mr. Earnest, ^that is the hour the 
Junior Endeavor meets.’ ^Well,’ the old man 
said, kind of mysterious like, ^we’ll soon be 
using it at all hours.’ My husband didn’t 
say much, but he got the old gentleman to 
tell him their plan. Won are aware that 
we have not a permanent title to the church 
92 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

property; it is to be held by our denomina- 
tion as long as we exist in sufficient numbers; 
but there is a clause stating that it can be 
made over to any other denomination by the 
majority vote of a regular church meeting, 
and the consent of two trustees, provided 
that another denomination has been holding 
regular services. Now you know that twelve 
of our members have become Scientists, but 
they have not withdrawn from the church. 
One trustee is a Scientist, and another has no 
church preference, but is favorable to the 
Scientists on account of business relations 
with them. They expected to use the church 
awhile, announce a business meeting of the 
church as quietly as possible, get the twelve 
Scientists out to the meeting and the two 
trustees, and vote the church over to the Sci- 
entists before our people realized what was 
going on. Mr. Earnest went to the trustees 
Tuesday evening and told them not to let the 
Scientists have the church, and they said that 
they had already consented. Then Mr. Ear- 
nest said that they must withdraw their con- 
sent, but they refused to do so. Then Mr. 


93 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

Earnest looked up the deed and found that 
only recognized Evangelical denominations 
could hold the property, and he held that the 
Scientists were not recognized as such. Then 
the trustees wrote the State Superintendent, 
and he wrote them to let the Scientists have 
the church. So on Sunday morning, imme- 
diately after Sunday school, Mr. Earnest got 
a quorum of the members that were at Sun- 
day school and stated the matter clearly to 
them, and they voted not to let the Scientists 
in. Then two of the trustees resigned, and 
we elected church members to fill their 
places, and it was all settled before the Sci- 
entists were dreaming of it. But they said 
that they would come in anyway. So Mr. 
Earnest and the trustees locked the church 
until time for evening services.” And Mrs. 
Earnest smiled when she remembered how 
smoothly it was done. 

'T guess that they did not have all their 
doubts eliminated,” said Fanny. 

'T don't see why they can't think a church 
fer themselves,” sez I. 

''They might all think a different kind o' 
94 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

architecture/^ sez Almira, ‘^and hev a kind of 
a crazy lookin’ effect.” 

^Well, you see now why I feel vexed at our 
Superintendent, don’t you?” And Mrs. Still- 
man recurred to the old grievance. 

^Well, seein’ there was no harm done, I 
don’t know as you should,” sez I. 

^^Law me!” said Fanny, ^Ws 5 o’clock; I 
must go and help ma.” 

^There won’t be much fer them to do,” sez 
I. ^‘Mrs. Dunlavy is a master hand at havin’ 
every thing done before it ’s needed.” 

We had an excellent supper, and Fanny 
hed some new doilies like Mrs. Earnest’s. I 
expect Mrs. Earnest helped her to make ’em. 
My! but they was poorty. The supper tasted 
awful good, and there was lots left, even if 
there was so many more present than usual. 
Mrs. Dunlavy sent a lovely basketful to the 
Minister. It was enough for two or three 
meals, for I peeked in when Fanny was cov- 
erin’ it up. 


95 


FOURTEENTH MEETIN’. 


D. K. GIVES UP SCIENCE, THE FIRST THING HE 
EVER DID GIVE UP. 

sez I to Fanny the minute I arrove, 
bein’ late, and every body there that was a 
cornin’, suppose that you be glad enough 
that D. K. is at home again, lookin’ as well 
as ever.” 

be,” sez she, kind o’ mimicin’ and com- 
ical, but she blushed redder than a poppy, 
and looked so confused that I was sorry thet 
I sed it, and sot down to work with my gloves 
on, so that everybody would look at me and 
laugh and fergit to look at Fanny. We sewed 
awhile, sayin’ nothin’, when Mrs. Griggs sez: 

suppose that you all know that his arm 
will always be stiff.” 

^^Dew tell!” sed Aunt Arimatha, measurin’ 
a ruffle. 

wonder if rubbin’ with arnica wouldn’t 
help it? Or if anybody could do anything?” 

96 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

sez Mrs. Loomis, and she was so interested 
that she actually laid down the apern she 
was hemmin^ 

^^Oh, no,” sed Mrs. Griggs, ^^nothin^ can 
ever be done; it is perfectly well, but it will 
always be stiff, there is no help for it.” 

I looked at Fanny, but her face was bent 
over her work, and she didn’t look up. 

‘^He has rented his farm to Philemus Sil- 
vernail and intends to go back to teaching,” 
continued Mrs. Griggs. 

^^Silvernail?” sez I. ^Thilemus Silvernail; 
where hev’ I heerd that name?” 

^^It is the young man Mr. Earnest married 
last fall,” sed Mrs. Earnest. 

^^Not the one that Abner Groves’ sister 
married, is it?” sez I. 

^^Yes,” sez she, ‘^that was the young man’s 
name, and I am so glad that they are going 
to move. I think it was very unpleasant for 
her at home.” 

‘Gt must have been,” sez I, rememberin’ 
how Abner’s face looked. 

^^But haven’t you heard?” asked Mrs. 
Griggs, in astonishment. 


97 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

^^Heard what?” sez I. 

<^Why, Abner Groves has been dead three 
weeks. He took cold in his face when he was 
going home from Mrs. Pickens’, and some 
kind o’ acute throat trouble set in, and he 
died.” 

^Toor boy,” sez I. ^^So his sufferin’ is over. 
I can’t help thinkin’ that it is a blessin’ when 
sich sufferers are taken out o’ their misery.” 

^That may be true,” sez Fanny, ^‘but Chris- 
tian Science was no blessing to him. He suf- 
fered untold torment because he wouldn’t 
have a thing done to relieve him. Pa was 
over one night and sat up with him, and he 
said that his suffering was terrible.” 

^A^es,” continued Mrs. Griggs, ^^he was 
worse after that. Mr. Silvernail was telling 
us that he went clean out of his head, and 
jist tried to gnaw his hands, and then they 
had the doctor come and give him something 
to keep him quiet and relieve the pain, so he 
died quite peaceful.” 

wonder if he was prepared,” sez Fanny, 
and her eyes filled with tears. remember 
I said to him, ‘You had better spend what 
98 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

time you have left getting ready to go where 
there is no more suffering.’ It was the very 
last thing that I ever said to him.” 

wish we could all remember of sayin’ as - 
much,” sez I. ^^It seems as most of us are 
afraid to talk about our soul, or other peo- 
ple’s, either.” 

^^That’s because we’re too busy talkin’ 
about ’em in other ways,” sez Mrs. Dean, 
scrapin’ the gathers in a check apern. 

^‘That reminds me,” sez Almira Jane, “that 
D. K.’s scrapin’ together money enough to 
finish that new house.” 

“It’s a good thing that he has it to scrape 
together,” sez Fanny, half vexed. 

“And I hear,” sez Mrs. Dean, “that he hez 
give up Christian Science.” 

“Give up Christian Science!” sez Almira 
Jane, holdin’ up both hands in astonishment. 
“Give up Christian Science! Well, it’s the 
first thing he ever did give up.” 

At that Fanny flared up and sed right out, 
to the surprise of everybody but me: 

“You can make all the fun you want to of 
him; it was foolish the way he did, but the 

99 


LofC. 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

best of folks make fools of themselves once 
in awhile, and some even twice in awhile; but 
he got punished bad enough, and has been 
bored over it so much, that he fairly despises 
the name of a bicycle; but he has give it all 
up and has come to his senses, and he will 
join the church if he is treated right, and not 
made fun of. He promised me that he would 
join right away after we are married.” 

We jist dropped our sewin’ and stared. 
She was a lookin’ right up, with her face 
shinin’, and little pink flushes sweepin’ over 
the white, sweet face, and such a glorious 
love light in her eyes, that none of us ever 
forgot it. 

^Wou’ll be a wife to be proud of,” sez Mrs. 
Loomis. 

wouldn’t have told it,” sneered Almira 
Jane, ^flf I was goin’ to git married.” 

^^If I am not ashamed to marry him, I don’t 
see why I should be ashamed to own it,” sez 
Fanny, pickin’ up her work. 

^^Nor I,” sez Mrs. Loomis. ^^If there’s any- 
thing any of us can do to help you git ready, 
why don’t be afraid to tell us.” 


100 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

^^Every thing is ready/’ sez she, laughing, 
as she went out to help Mrs. Griggs set sup- 
per. While she was out we put our heads 
together and voted to give her the purtiest 
quilt we hed ever made in the Sewin’ Circle, 
and Almira Jane made the motion, so she 
ain’t spiteful like she appears to be. Mrs. 
Grippenny hesitated. 

^^We could ’ve got ten dollars for that 
quilt,” sez she, ^^but seein’ it is fer Fanny 
Dunlavy I guess I kin vote to give it — I guess 
I kin.” 

And we all laughed in spite of ourselves. 

Mrs. Grippenny always reminds me of a 
flannin shirt that’s been biled and then 
dipped in ice water. She’s that shrunk up 
and narrer she ain’t good fer much of any- 
thin’, and it makes me feel bad, seein’ what 
a useful and comfortin’ member o’ sossiety 
she might hev’ bin ef she hedn’t shrunk up 
so. 

While I was a thinkin’ about it, the door 
opened, and Mrs. Griggs asked us out to as 
good a supper as I ever sot down to. Fanny 
and me took what was left to the Amos’s, 


101 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

and we talked all the way about the weddin^, 
and I suppose thet is what the rest talked 
about on their way home. I suppose it was, 
but of course I don’t know. 


102 


FIFTEENTH MEETIN’. 


FANNY AND D. K. MARRIED. 

Fanny wasn’t at this meetin/ but most o’ 
the members was. 

^^Well,” sez Mrs. Loomis, suppose she 
that was Fanny Dunlavy is now Mrs. D. K. 
Grimes.” 

We was all glad she introduced the snb- 
jec’, fer w^e all wanted to talk about it. 

suppose it was a fine wedding; I was so 
sorry I couldn’t be there,” and Mrs. Pert hove 
a deep sigh, and we believed all she sed was 
true. 

‘^Yes,” sez Mrs. Loomis, ‘fit wuz a fine wed- 
din.’ Leander sed Fanny looked so sweet he 
forgot to notice any o’ the decorations.” 

“That’s jist like th.e men!” exclaimed Mi- 
randy, who didn’t approve o’ the judgment o’ 
men. 

“But,” sez Mrs. Griggs, “did you ever hear 
tell of a woman’ lookin’ so much at the groom 
that she didn’t notice everything in the 
house? I never did.” 


103 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

tell me about how everything looked; 
then tell me about everything.” And Mrs. 
Pert looked so interested that we all tried to 
tell her to once. 

‘The poortiest thing was the heart,” sez 
Almira Jane. 

“The heart!” exclaimed Mrs. Pert, aston- 
ished like. 

“Yes; over the place where they stood was 
a beautiful heart covered with smilax and 
white roses, and stuck through it was the 
cutest dart, all trimmed in smilax and red 
carnations. My, it was jist too cute fer any 
thing. Mrs. Pickens was standin’ next to me, 
and she whispered: 

“How erronious! How misleading!” The 
human heart has no emotions — it is the mind 
— all is mind.” 

“How would you represent it?” I asked. 
“What kind of an emblem would you use?” 

“There are no emblems needed in the ex- 
alted realm of which I speak.” 

“But,” sez Mrs. Loomis, “I thought that 
fixin’ over the table was pootier than the 
heart.” 


104 


THE BARHEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

^^What was it?’’ interrupted Mrs. Pert, who 
waz so interested that she couldn’t wait to 
hear it told. 

^^Oh,” continued Mrs. Loomis, ‘dt was a 
wreath o’ the sweetest smellin’ carnations, 
with red and white ribbons alternatin’, lead- 
in’ from the wreath down to each plate, and 
each one waz to pull their ribbon, and two 
long stemmed carnations came to them to 
keep. Oh! but they was nice. I’m goin’ to 
keep mine always; and Mrs. Pickens set next 
to me; she pulled her ribbon and whispered 
to me and sed: do it to keep from looking 

odd ; I have no need to, for there is no mate- 
rial, and I can have mental flowers at all sea- 
sons.’ ” 

Then Mirandy spoke up and sed : 

^^She still has her house plants and takes 
as much care o’ ’em as ever. Her Hibiscus 
she sot sich store by got full o’ scaly bugs 
and she give it mental treatment regular fer 
three or four weeks, but it kept a lookin’ 
worser and worser. I come in unexpected 
t’other day and she was sousin’ it good in 
soapsuds and kerocene. I didn’t say nothin’, 


105 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

nor she didn^t; I jist elevated my nose and 
sniffed, and then I laughed and she blushed, 
and that was all; neither of us sed anythin^’’ 

We all smiled sum. 

^^But about the weddinV^ interrupted Mrs. 
Pert. 

‘^Oh, her dress was lovely,’’ began Almira 
Jane. 

^‘Oh, don’t tell me about the dress,” sez 
Mrs. Pert, saw it; Fanny brought it in fer 
me to see. She’s that kind hearted and 
thoughtful; she knows that I love pretty 
things, and she had promised long ago that I 
should be one o’ the first to see her dress.” 

‘^Did she show you her veil and slippers?” 
sez I. 

“Oh no, jist the dress.” 

“Well, she had a lovely veil and white slip- 
pers, and real orange blossoms.” 

“Dew tell!” sed Aunt Arimatha, droppin’ 
the scissors. 

“Did you hear what Mrs. Pickens said to 
her when she kissed her?” asked Mrs. Dean. 

“I did,” sez I; “I was so close that I heard 
plain, fer I listened. She sed: ‘Fanny, the 
106 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

Oreat All has deigned to make you my sister. 
Yon have led my dearly beloved brother out 
o^ the path o’ light and revealed truth, as Eve 
led Adam out o’ the Garden; but I will lead 
you both back into the paths o’ Divine Sci- 
ence, into light and love and harmony with 
the Great All.’ ” 

^‘What did Fanny say to that?” asked Mrs. 
Pert. 

^^Oh, she jist smiled as sweet as could be 
and sed, hope instead, that D. K. and I will 
succeed in leading you back, sister Elisabeth, 
to be the dear, kind, sympathetic woman you 
used to be.’ ” 

‘^Fanny didn’t da’st say that, did she?” sez 
Mrs. Stillman. 

‘^Law, yes, jist as easy and natural; and 
Elisabeth looked so funny; then she sez: G 
will never waver, Fanny; Light and Life and 
Love revealed will conquer error.’ ” Fanny 
didn’t answer, she was too busy talkin’ to 
others. I w^ent with her after supper, when 
she went into the hall to see the presents. 
There was a nice lot, more than any girl 
around here ever got before. When she see 
the quilt the Society give her, the tears come 

107 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

in her eyes, and she squeezed my hand and 
sez, ‘Everybody is so good to me, and always 
have been.’ ” 

“When are they cornin’ back?” asked Mrs. 
Dean. 

None o’ us seemed to know. Then Mrs. 
Earnest sez: 

“They will only be gone three or four 
weeks, and then they are cornin’ to Mrs. Pick- 
ens’ for awhile, and Mr. and Mrs. Dunlavy 
are going to California.” 

“Yes,” sez Mirandy, “and proper glad I’ll 
be to hev Fanny with us fer awhile. It poorty 
near seems as if she’s relation to me, now.” 

“I wonder if you’d all make sich a fuss over 
me if I was to git married?” sed Almira Jane, 
pretendin’ to pout. 

“I guess you’ll soon see,” sez I, “if the new 
teacher” — but she put her hand over my 
mouth. 

Jist then Mrs. Griggs asked us out to tea 
and I never got that sentence finished. 

We chatted about Fanny durin’ tea time,, 
and went home feelin’ happier and younger 
than when we come. 

It does old folks good to sympathize with 
the joys o’ the young folks. 

108 


SIXTEENTH MEETIN’. 


MR. AND MRS. DUNLAYY GO TO CALIFORNIA— 
DISCUSS MRS. pert’s BABY — WE MET AT 
MRS. burns’ and all MISSED FANNY. 

‘^There won^t be many out/’ sez Mrs. Dean; 
^‘Fanny has gone, and Mr. and Mrs. Dunlavy 
started for California yesterday.” 

^^Yes,” sez Mrs. Griggs, ^^and Mrs. Loomis 
can’t come; she has been with Mrs. Pert since 
last night.” 

^^Yew don’t say so?” sez I. 

‘^Dew tell!” sed Aunt Arimatha, droppin’ 
her thimble. 

^^And I don’t know as Mirandy ’ll be here; 
she’s goin’ out to visit her brother in New- 
braskey the last o’ this week,” continued Mrs. 
Griggs. 

^‘My! It’ll cost lots; it must seem like a 
waste o’ money, ridin’ on railroad keers,” 
lamented Mrs. Grippenny, usin’ up the last 
wee bit o’ thread in her needle. 


109 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

do not like to have Fanny come back to 
Mrs. Pickens’s when Mirandy is away,” sez 
Mrs. Earnest, who beats anybody lookin^ 
ahead. 

^^Oh, Fanny is so healthy,” sed Almira 
Jane, ^^there ain’t no danger o’ her gettin’^ 
sick; besides, D. K. will be there, and Mr. 
Pickens.” 

^‘No they won’t; John Henry’s goin’ up into 
Dakota to look at some grazin’ land, and D. 
K.’s goin’ rite over to Pawnee to look after a 
school. They sent fer him and he is goin’, 
and he is goin’ to rent his new house.” 

^‘Law me!” sez I; ^^yew do beat anybody to 
find out things,” and Mrs. Griggs looked 
pleased. I like to give a compliment as well 
as to git one. 

^^There comes Mirandy,” giggled Libby, 
who was lookin’ out o’ the winder. 

^^What are you gigglin’ at?” asked Almira 
Jane. 

^^Miranda walks so funny,” sez she, gigglin’ 
again. 

don’t know as it makes any difference 
how she walks,” sez I, ^^so as she gits over 
the ground.” 

no 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

^^She certainly does that all right,” sez 
Almira Jane, and Libby giggled again. 

^What made me walk so fast?” sed Miran- 
da, coinin’ in all out o’ breath, and Almira 
and Libby both hoped that she hadn’t heerd 
what they sed, ^^was to tell you that Mrs. Pert 
hez got a baby boy.” 

^^Dew tell!” sed Aunt Arimatha, gittin’ up 
and settin’ down on to her glasses. “Dew 
tell!” she again ejaculated. 

“Law me! I expect the Deacon is tickled 
out o’ a year’s growth,” sez Mrs. Stillman. 

“I expect he feels bigger than ever,” sez I. 
“The first boy! Law! but they’ll be proud o’ 
him. Let’s see; three girls and one boy. I 
expect they’ll spile him.” 

“It costs less to raise a boy,” sez Mrs. Grip- 
penny. “Ye kin dress ’em plainer.” 

“But they eat enough to make up the differ- 
ence,” affirmed Mrs. Dean, who hed raised 
four o’ each, and ort to know. 

“We lost a little calf last night,” sed Mi- 
randa, and we laughed at the change o’ sub- 
jects. Miranda laughed, too; then she went 
on : “The calf was sick all day, and Dorothea 


111 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

went out and gave it a mental treatment. 
‘You must fink fo^ it, papa,’ she said, and it 
was just too funny. ‘You may have it, Doro- 
thea,’ John Henry said, winkin’ at me. ‘You 
can think for it.’ And that poor little young 
one tried to stay awake all last night think- 
in’ for that sick calf, and sayin’ a lingo that 
Elisabeth hes taught her. But she finally 
dropped to sleep. The first thing she did this 
mornin’ was to run out to the barn. She 
looked so funny when she came back. I 
asked her if it was dead. ‘Yes, Aunt Manna, 
it’s dieded. I dess an erro’ dot into my finker, 
or mebby it des died; ’tause it died.’ ‘I guess 
that was it,’ said John Henry, and we all 
laughed, even Elisabeth.” 

We w’^ere laughin’, too, when Mrs. Loomis 
came in ; but we all stopped when we see the 
expression of her face. 

“What’s the matter?” we asked. “Is Mrs. 
Pert—?” 

“No,” sed she, not waitin’ fer us to finish 
the question, “but the baby is dead.” 

“Dead!” we exclaimed. 

“Yes, and it’s better off; we were so thank- 
112 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

ful when it was over; it only lived a few 
hours.’’ 

^‘Why! Why!” sez I. ‘‘How could you 
be—?” 

“Oh,” sez she, “it wasn’t right; it was the 
most awful lookin’ sight! There wa’n’t no 
coverin’ over one whole side o’ its face and 
neck.” 

“Law me!” sez I. “What a shame!” 

“Yes,” sez she, “and it was sich a nice boy 
baby. Mrs. Pert don’t know it; we laid it 
out with that side on the pillow, and put a 
lace cap on, so you can’t see it at all; and the 
other side is so poorty.” 

“What a shame!” sez I. “How did the 
Deacon take it?” 

“He feels bad enough,” sez she, “but is 
thankful that his wife don’t know.” 

We talked quite awhile, askin’ questions, 
and wondered how it happened, and feelin’ 
sorry for the Deacon and hopin’ that Mrs. 
Pert would never learn anything about it. 

“A birth mark is one of the strangest 
things there is,” sez Mrs. Earnest, “and one 
of the laws of nature I can not understand.” 


113 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

don’t see why God lets ’em happen,” sez 
Mrs. Griggs. 

'^But seein’ He does let ’em happen,” sez I, 
^^people ought to be made stay out o’ public 
places thet hev any kind o’ horrible thing the 
matter with them.” 

‘^Yes,” sed Mrs. Loomis, ^^they ort. If Ab- 
ner Groves had stayed to home — ” 

them Syantists hedn’t told him to on- 
cover his face,” sed Mrs. Dean, contemptious 
like, ^dt wouldn’t ’ve happened. Don’t blame 
poor Abner — put the blame where it belongs, 
I say.” 

^Well! Weill I guess you’d better ajourn 
yer meetin’,” sed Mrs. Loomis, ^^seein’ there 
is so few out. I hev’ to go home, and Mrs. 
Pert wants Mrs. Earnest to come over, and 
Mrs. Griggs, if she feels like it.” 

So we folded up our work and ajourned, 
but before we went Mrs. Dean insisted on us 
cornin’ out to tea, as she hed it a’most ready, 
and we did; fer it wouldn’t ’ve been right to 
go away without eatin’ when she’d gone to 
all the trouble o’ gittin’ it fer us. We didn’t 
hardly know what to do with the things that 
was left, since the Amos’s got well. I expect 
there was some things left thet’ll spile — but 
maybe not, it bein’ cold weather. 

114 


SEVENTEENTH MEETIN’. 


fanny’s death. 

We were all glad that the meetin’ was to 
be at Mrs. Earnest’s, fer some how it seemed 
more fittin’ thet it should be there. 

You could see the sorry look in Mrs. Ear- 
nest’s eyes when she opened the door fer us 
to come in, and as fer me, I hedn’t no more ’n 
got my wraps off, when I just begun cryin’, 
fer I couldn’t help it to save my life. 

^^She alius use to be here among the very 
first,” sez I. » 

^Wes, the blessed dear; but she won’t meet 
with us no more in this world.” And Mrs. 
Loomis wiped her eyes on the corner o’ the 
apern she was makin’. 

''Don’t do that,” sez Mrs. Grippenny, "it 
won’t sell fer so much if it’s soiled.” 

But none o’ us took any notice; we’re get- 
tin’ more charitable than we used to be. 

"I wish I had back all the spiteful things 

I used to say,” sez Almira Jane, goin’ to the 

115 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

winder and lookin’ out toward the cemetery, 
while the tears fell down onto her best waist, 
and she takin’ no notice. 

‘^You ain’t the only one, Almira Jane, thet 
looks toward the cemetery with regretful 
eyes.” 

And we looked up to see who spoke. It 
was Mrs. Griggs, and I knew by her eyes she 
meant herself; but what she was regrettin’ 
none of us will ever know. 

“What’s done can’t be ondone, Almira 
Jane,” sez I, and I know Fanny never re- 
membered ’em a moment after they was 
sed.” 

“Oh yes, she did,” sez she, and she broke 
down and sobbed. “I was in the day before 
she died, and she was out o’ her head, and 
she tossed her arm up so tired like, and sed, 
J don’t think D. K. is stingy,’ and then she 
looked so glad fer a minute; ^not with me, he 
isn’t; he’s good to me.” I went up and kissed 
her, and she kind o’ moaned like and said: 
‘D. K. never made a fool of himself but once, 
Almira, and now he’s going to join the 
church.’ I know she did remember, for I 
116 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

don’t think she knew me when she was talk- 
in’.” 

^‘Well, our regrets can be nothing com- 
pared to some people’s,” sez Mrs. Stillman. 

don’t believe sich folks are capable of 
regrets,” replied Mrs. Griggs. 

^^Oh yes they be,” maintained Mrs. Loomis. 

know Elisabeth Pickens is consumed with 
regrets and self reproach, but she’s that sot 
she’d die before she’d own it. Just before 
the funeral I went into her bed room; she 
calls it her ^bow-door’ since she got Syance. 
You know from the time D. K. got home she’s 
staid in her bed room. Well, I went in and 
sot down by her, and I sed : ^Elisabeth, I am 
jist as sorry fer you as I can be; I know that 
you meant to do right; it’s the fault o’ your 
doctern, Elisabeth, and I beg of you to give 
it up. Come out with me and see Fanny,’ sez 
I, ^and, standin’ by her coffin give up this de- 
lusion that has cost her her life, and she’ll 
look down from heaven and be glad,’ sez I. 
Oh! Mrs. Loomis, I can’t!’ she cried, can’t!! 
don’t ask me; I can’t bear to see her eyes.’ 
^They’re closed now,’ sez I, ^and her face is 

117 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

settled into a look o’ glory, and the pinched 
and sufferin’ look hez all gone.’ ^Oh, Mrs. 
Loomis!’ she cried, again layin’ her head on 
my bosom. ^Her eyes looked just like the 
eyes of a pet fawn I had when I was a girl, 
that pa accidentally shot, and it came and 
fell down and died at my feet. I have never 
forgotten the look in its eyes, and Fanny just 
kept looking at me like that. Oh! I can 
never forget her eyes.’ ” 

^^Don’t tell me Elisabeth ain’t regrettin’ 
what she done.” 

^ What she didn’t do,” corrected Mrs. Dean, 
Tvho hasn’t much sympathy fer the errin’. 

^To think,” sez Mrs. Griggs, that last meet- 
in’ we was all talkin’ so gay about her wed- 
din’, and her future prospects, and now she is 
in the grave dressed jist like she was fer her 
weddin’. It seems the saddest thing that has 
ever happened to us.” 

^^In the midst of life we are in death,” re- 
plied Mrs. Earnest. ^^Do you remember what 
Fanny’s last words to Abner Groves was? I 
often think of it. Surely Fanny, as young as 
she was, was the best one to be taken away.” 

118 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

And some how we all felt that Mrs. Ear- 
nest^s words were true. 

^^Yet she needn^t hev been took/^ sez Mi- 
randy, with some warmth. “If I hed been 
there and anything hed been done in time, 
she ’d have lived to be a blessin’ to this town 
and this church fer years and years.^’ And 
Mirandy jerked the bastin’ threads out with a 
snap. 

“How was she when you first got home?” 
asked Mrs. Dean. 

“Mrs. Loomis knows well enough how she 
was.” Mrs. Loomis nodded and Mirandy 
went on. “I found her in the spare bed- 
room, where there ain’t been a mite o’ fire 
this winter, and her eyes were a shinin’ like 
stars, and her cheeks were as red as blood, 
and she was coughin’ herself to death. Why, 
Fanny Dunlavy,’ sez I, fergittin’ her name 
was Grimes. What on the yarth’s the mat- 
ter?’ ^Please, Elizabeth, do something for 
me, anything.’ ^Ma! Oh ma! I’m sick. Ma, 
why don’t you give me a drink?’ ^There, D. 
K., how does that look? Ain’t that pretty?’ 
and she toyed with the quilt and moaned and 


119 


THE BARLEYVILLB SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

coughed. I seen how it was in a minute, and 
remembered how it was when I hed a claim. 
So I flew around and got her some water, and 
went fer Mrs. Loomis as fast as my legs 
would carry me. When we got back John 
Henry hed come home. I pinted to the bed 
room, and he looked in. ^Doctor been up?’ 
sez he. I shook my head. ‘How long have 
you been home?’ sez he. ‘Jist come,’ says I. 
He turned around and went out, and in about 
ten minutes he got back with the doctor. I 
expected Elisabeth to interfere, but she jist 
went into her bed room, a sayin’ as she went : 
‘The great All-Wise, the All Good, the One 
Universal Mind, knows that I have been 
faithful to revealed light, and done nothing to 
encourage error. I’ve given her treatments 
faithful every day, and now I am not respon- 
sible.’ And we was glad thet she give in 
without a scene. Mrs. Loomis hurried around 
doin’ what the doctor sed to do. ‘What is it?’ 
sez I. ‘Newmonnia,’ sez he. And I knew by 
the way he looked that it was too late. 
‘Where is D. K.?’ sez he, a lookin’ at John 
Henry. ‘Over at Pawnee a lookin’ after a 
120 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

school,’ sez John Henry. ^Send for him,’ sez 
the doctor, ^and send an urgent telegram to 
Mr. and Mrs. Dunlavy. Tell them to start 
home at once. Make it very plain, Mr. Pick- 
ens. Do you understand?’ John Henry 
nodded and went out. What does this 
mean? Why was I not called sooner?’ And 
I thought that the doctor would bite my head 
oif. We told him how it was, and he jist 
glared. Tt is too late,’ sez he, lookin’ at 
Fanny, who hed dropped into a kind of stu- 
por. ^Oh, doctor! She ain’t dyin’, is she?’ 
sez I, every bit o’ strength a oozin’ out o’ my 
jints. ^Not yet,’ sez he, ^but there’s little 
hope.’ And Mrs. Loomis nodded again, and 
Mirandy went on. did what we could, 

and set up that night.” 

^‘Then I come,” sez I, wishin’ the people to 
know it. Mirandy nodded. 

^^But the wust was when D. K. come, jist 
a little before day light on that 3 o’clock 
train,” sez Mrs. Loomis, wipin’ her eyes. 
^^Fanny didn’t know him. She kept moanin’ 
and tossin’ and callin’ her ma, and askin’ 
somebody to do somthin’, anything, fer her. 


121 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


D. K. went up to the bed and knelt down and 
put his arms about her and his face down 
close to her. ^Don’t yon know me, Fanny 
sez he. ^I^ve come; I ^11 do anything for you, 
dear one. Don^t you know me, sweetheart?’ 
She opened her eyes wide, but they wan’t the 
right look in ’em. He see it and choked. 
Poor feller, it broke his heart; you could see 
it did. I walked out and let him be with her 
a while. I knew it wouldn’t harm her none; 
she didn’t notice nothin’ and couldn’t get ex- 
cited. When I went back in her head was 
layin’ on his arm, and one of her hands was 
cuddled up into his neck and the other holdin’ 
his sleeve, and she was asleep, with the look 
o’ heaven on her face. And he didn’t da’st 
to breathe scasely, fer fear o’ wakin’ her. I 
hoped thet it was a turn fer the better, but 
we soon knew it wan’t, fer she awoke moanin’ 
again. ‘She knew me,’ sed D. K. ‘She kissed 
me once and asked me not to go away again, 
and I never will. I’ll never leave again,’ sez 
he, ‘while I live, if the Lord will only spare 
her to me.’ I didn’t say anythin’; I couldn’t. 
‘I know’d there wan’t any hope,’ sed I, ‘as 
122 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

soon as I seen her. When the doctor come 
the second time he kept askin’ how soon we 
thought Mr. and Mrs. Dunlavy would git 
home, and he didn’t leave, but took off his 
great coat and asked Mirandy to git him 
some hot coffee; he hed jist come in from a 
long, cold drive. He sed thet maybe we could 
keep her alive with stimulants until her 
father and mother came, and he didn’t leave 
us all that night.” 

^‘He is the kind of a doctor I like to see,” 
sez Mrs. Earnest, ^^one that has a heart and 
isn’t ashamed of it.” 

We all said so, too. We love our doctor 
next best to the Minister; maybe more, seein’ 
he’s older and hez always lived with us. 

^^But jist before day light,” continued Mrs. 
Loomis, ^^doctor motioned to me, and I see 
that our efforts hed failed. D. K. was kneel- 
in’ by the bed; he hedn’t left her hardly a 
minute since he got home. She opened her 
eyes; I think she knew us. She put her hand 
on D. K.’s face and then said plain enough 
fer us all to hear, ^Forgive Elisabeth, and try 
— to get her — to join — church; and you join,’ 

123 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

she said, lookin’ up at D. K. ^Yes! Yes, 
love, I will,’ he sed, surely will.’ ^Every- 
body is so good to me,’ she said, and then 
moaned and tossed a little, and the grey look 
spread over her face again. She opened her 
eyes wide — wide with tha:t glory look in ’em 
— and sed: ^As for me, I shall be satisfied — 
when 1 — awake in — Thy — like — ness.’ We all 
stood with our heads bowed, while her spirit 
left her poor sufferin’ body, and felt as if we’d 
been close to heaven — poorty near dost 
enough to see in. The doctor twitched D. 
K. hard, and he rose up and tried to steady 
himself. ^God help you,’ sed the doctor a» 
he led him out o’ the room.” 

Here Mrs. Loomis broke down, and we all 
cried softly. 

^^Then,” sez I, beginnin’ where she left off, 
^^Mrs. Loomis went and told Elisabeth. Mi- 
randy and me and Almira Jane did w^hat 
must always be done at such times, and when 
every thing was arranged, and the house put 
to order, we see a carriage drive up, and it 
was her pa and ma. They’d come to LaCroix 
to save time, and driv over.” 

124 




.Sis 







TO THIS MODERN MOLOCH? 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

“Yes,” sez Mrs. Loomis, “and ye did wrong 
sendin’ me out to tell ’em; I hed already hed 
all I could bear.” 

“But you’ve the kindest way,” sez I; “that’s 
why we sent you.” 

“Well,” sez she, “I shall never fergit how 
they looked, and when Mrs. Dunlavy looked 
at Fanny and said: ^Oh, Lord! Why was my 
daughter, my only child, sacrificed to this mod- 
ern Moloch f It seemed as if my heart would 
burst. And when Mr. Dunlavy said: ^The 
law shall put an end to this abomination.’ I 
told ’em what Fanny said almost the last 
thing she spoke on earth.” 

“It was the saddest funeral I ever attend- 
ed,” sez Mrs. Dean. 

“But what a good sermon Mr. Earnest 
preached,” sed Mrs. Stillman. “I will never 
forget how he read the last part o’ the fif- 
teenth chapter of I. Corinthians. And the 
text was Fanny’s last words. I remember 
how she said: ^As for me, I shall be satisfied 
when I awake in Thy likeness.’ ” 

So we kept talkin’ over the sad events of 
the past week, and sheddin’ honest tears o’ 


125 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


sympathy, and as we folded up our sewin^ 
and laid it away we made new resolves ta 
live worthy to meet the dear one that we 
missed so much. Mrs. Earnest carried in a 
tray o’ hot coffee and a plate o’ simple cake^ 
it seemed more fittin’. And again we was 
thankful that the meetin’ hed been at her 
house. 


12(1 


EIGHTEENTH MEETIN’. 


TWO OR THREE GIVE UP SCIENCE. 

We met at Mrs. Pert’s, as she hed espe- 
cially invited us, and Mrs. Pert is now the 
ackowledged leader of Barleyville. Mrs. 
Pickens used to be, but she ain’t any more 
since she took up Syance. 

Mrs. Pert looks awful bad, but she is such 
a sweet woman, and we like her better than 
ever. 

^^God blesses sorrow to some people,” said 
Mrs. Griggs to me in a whisper, as we took 
off our wraps. 

^^Yes,” sez I, ^4f it don’t turn them to stone 
it makes them more lovin’ en kind.” 

was afraid that it would turn D. K. to 
stone; he looked so bad for awhile, and he 
looks bad yet, but more resigned like,” sed 
she. 

When we got to sewin’ and talkin’ Mrs. 
Pert remarked that she was so thankful to 
hear that D. K. had joined the church. She 

127 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

said that she was afraid that he would put it 
off and then back out entirely, as so many do 
who promise things to a friend on their death 
bed. 

‘tHe promised Fanny long before that,’^ sez 
I; ‘‘he promised her before they wus mar- 
ried.^’ 

“I was so surprised when I see Mrs. Huff- 
man git up and go foFard, when Mr. Earnest 
asked if they were others ready to come,” 
sed Mrs. Dean. 

“Did she?” asked Mrs. Barlow, who don’t 
git out much since Jim was burned. 

“Yes, and Mrs. Newlady got right up and 
follered her; and then Mrs. Huffman’s oldest 
boy went; then Mr. and Mrs. Silvernail, thet’s 
moved on to D. K.’s farm.” 

“Dew tell!” exclaimed Aunt Arimatha, 
breakin’ her needle. “I wish I could have 
been there to give ’em the right hand o’ fel- 
lowship; but little Cephus was threatened 
with croup, and I couldn’t leave.” 

“You do wonders fer them children,” sez I. 

“And to think,” sez Almira Jane, “they are 
only step-sister’s children.” 


128 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

^^And five of sed Mrs. Stillman. 

^‘They were orphans/’ Aunt Arimatha re- 
plied simply, fer she was a woman of few 
words but many deeds. She was bringin’ up 
them five children of her dead step-sister’s. 
And she hez to work fer their livin’, too, not 
havin’ any property to speak of (jist a cute 
little mite o’ a house and garden). But the 
Lord prospers her, and them children is all 
doin’ well. 

^A^ou can give them the hand o’ fellowship 
any time,” sez Mrs. Loomis. often tell 
Leander a helpin’ hand in time o’ trouble is 
the best hand o’ fellowship I know of.” 

^^Well, I am thankful that they are givin’ 
up their Syance,” sed Mrs. Griggs, compla- 
cently, ^And I am willin’ to give ’em a helpin’ 
hand any time.” 

‘^As Mr. Earnest and I were coming up on 
the train last week from the District Associa- 
tion, I heard the funniest conversation. An 
old lady was telling her experience to a 
friend, and I learned that there were people 
outside of Barleyville giving up their belief 
in Christian Science.” 


129 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

^^What was she a savin’?’’ asked Mrs. 
Griggs. I wanted to know myself, but I 
don’t believe in actin’ as if you was e’t up 
with curiosity. 

^^The old lady said that she had read Sci- 
ence and Health, with key to the scriptures, 
and quite a number of magazines, and had 
attended several lectures, and could embrace 
a great deal of their teaching, but she could 
’nt quite believe that there was no existence 
or reality in matter; nor that Christ’s suffer- 
ing and death was purely a mental condition. 
But she wanted to be convinced, so she got 
ready one morning to attend a lecture that 
promised to be unusually clear. Being 
obliged to have dinner on time, she put a 
four pound roast of beef in an iron pot 
on top of the hard coal burner to cook 
while she was gone. She came home two 
hours later convinced that all material 
existence was a delusion. But she said: 
^When I opened the door the awfulest 
odor came out; and dear conscience! that 
beef had boiled dry and burned up, and 
the rooms were full of smoke — and that 


130 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

smell! that awful smell! I grabbed up two 
woolen holders and run for that pot, but they 
hadn’t more than touched the sides than siz! 
scorch! they curled up crisp as a fried cake. 
And if the smell in that house was bad at 
first, it was indescribable now. I made an- 
other effort, and with an old cotton apron I 
managed to carry it out of doors. It wasn’t 
many seconds until I saw all the neighbors 
closing their windows, and some of them had 
been Scientists a good while longer than I; 
but they preferred to keep that smell out 
rather than to eliminate it afterwards. Well, 
that odor, bad as it was, did me good; well, 
there may be no existence in that beef, but 
it has certainly emitted its share of smell, 
and really I do not think six inches square 
of imagination could ever have penetrated 
everything in the house as that did.’ Then 
the old lady leaned over and said very confi- 
dentially: T had to use four ounces of the 
best perfume to make that house endurable, 
and I haven’t been to a Christian Science lec- 
ture since.’ And the dear old lady leaned 
her head back contentedly, and never once 

131 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

suspected that her experience had been more 
of a comedy than a tragedy/^ 

^^Either is good in its place/^ sez I, it 
only fetches folks to their senses.’’ 

‘^But I am really glad that so many here 
are giving up their delusions and joining the 
church. We must never allude to anything 
that will wound them, or recall any unpleas- 
ant things in their presence.” 

‘^Land, no!” sez I. ^‘They wouldn’t be any 
use doin’ that; besides, most everybody 
makes fools o’ themselves once in a while,” 
as Fanny used to say, and some o’ them twice 
in awhile.” 

^‘We hed some fun with Dorothea last 
night,” said Mirandy. ^‘She hed her first 
spell o’ toothache, and Elisabeth made her 
say that same old lingo about God bein’ good 
— as all Christians know and always hev’ — 
and bein’ all, and all bein’ good. ^Now,’ said 
Elisabeth, ^say it don’t hurt.’ ^But it do!’ 
she cried. ‘But you must deny it, pet, and 
say that it don’t hurt.’ ‘But it do hurt, ma- 
ma, and you tolled me ’at I musn’t yie, and 
my Aunt Manna’ says it’s wicked to yie,’ and 

132 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

she wouldn’t say it, either. And Elisabeth 
was jist spankin’ her to make her say it, when 
she was taken suddently with jumpin’ tooth- 
ache herself. I was plum glad, though I 
tried to feel sorry fer her. She set and read 
Syance ’n Health with key to the scriptur’ 
till midnight, but not gittin’ any comfort, she 
took a hot iron and went to bed. This morn- 
ing her face was all swelled up, and she took 
Dorothea and went to Pawnee to the dentist. 
I’ll tell you all about it next time we meet,” 
sez she. 

Then we put away our work and Mrs. Pert 
served light refreshments, consistin’ o’ angel 
cake an’ tea, fer we hed asked her to not go 
to the trouble o’ gittin’ a supper, not knowin’ 
she hed a hired girl. 


133 


NINETEENTH MEETIN’. 


MRS. PICKENS HEZ SOME DENTAL WORK DONE. 

Well, most of us bed heard off on thet 
Mrs. Pickens hed a purty hard time of it at 
the dentisPs down at Pawnee, and we knew 
good and well thet Mirandy ’d tell us all 
about it at the Society. So we come fairly 
early. Mrs. Griggs didn^t hev her dishes 
done when I arrove, so I turned in and wiped 
them, and swept up while she took off her 
wrapper and got into a good dress. She 
hedn^t moreen got ready when the whole 
Society arrived simultaneously together; that 
is, all but Mirandy; she wan’t with ’em. I 
could see a disappointed look in every face, 
but I wasn’t goin’ to let on, but Almira Jane 
did, fer she sed right out: 

do wish Mirandy ’d ’ve come; I’m jist 
dyin’ to hear how Mrs. Pickens got along 
gettin’ them teeth fixed.” 

guess she won’t spank no more little 
folks fer cryin’ with the toothache; at least 
134 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

not fer quite a spell, if all I hear about it’s 
so,” said Mrs. Loomis. 

‘^Did she git’ em plugged or pulled?” asked 
Mrs. Grippenny, who was as savin’ o’ words 
as she was o’ anything else. 

‘^Well, she had quite a bit done,” answered 
Mrs. Dean, who hed been down to Pawnee 
to the same dentist the next day after Eliza- 
beth hed been there. 

^^She had two or three nerves taken out 
and some fillings put in, and a jaw tooth 
pulled.” 

don’t believe in fillin’; I alius git mine 
pulled if they ache; Mr. Grippenny alius says 
it’s lots cheeper, and saves time.” 

^^Law me,” says I, ^Vhat’s five or six dol- 
lars if ye ken save a tooth? And besides, 
false ones cost more ’n keepin’ the old ones 
fixed.” 

ain’t aimin’ to git any false ones; I eat 
soft vittels mostly; Mr. Grippenny lows false 
teeth ain’t wuth what they cost.” 

We was all kind o’ still a minute, and she 
looked at us kind o’ agitated. Then she 
busted right out and owned up, thet she jist 

135 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

did want a set powerful bad, an^ would git 
’em, too, if Mr. Grippeuny was willin’. I 
was jist on the p’int o’ askin’ her w^hat they 
intended to do with all their money, when 
they got starved to death a eatin’ soft vittels, 
but before I got to it Almira Jane saw Mi- 
randy a cornin’, and we all felt so glad that 
we forgot everythin’ else, fer we could hear 
how Mrs. Pickens was; and thet’s what we 
come fer; leastwise it was partly thet. 

^ J declare to goodness,” sez she, takin’ off 
her bonnet, ^J’m that flustered; I thought I 
was not goin’ to git to come.” 

‘Hev company?” asked Almira Jane. 

^^Land, no! But Elisabeth ’s that bad, I 
hated to leave her; but I was so tuckered out, 
that John Henry said that he would stay in 
and let me come, for he thought it ’d do me 
good.” 

^'You needn’t sew, if you’re thet beat out.” 
And Mrs. Loomis took the apern thet Aunt 
Arimatha hed handed to Mirandy. 

^^How is Elisabeth?” sez I. 

^^Oh, Elisabeth’s bad off, powerful bad off. 
She’s been to Pawnee four or flve times, and 
136 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


bed the aAvfulest time; she was gittin’ some 
crown work done, and the shakin^ and jarrin’ 
got the tooth all out of fix, and he hed to 
pull it out and put it back in again.’’ 

^^Dew tell!” interrupted Aunt Arimatha, 
droppin’ her patterns. 

^‘When I get one out it will stay out,” sez I. 

^^Did he charge extra fer puttin’ it back?” 
faltered Mrs. Grippenny, as she rolled the 
last bit o’ bastin’ thread back on the spool. 

^^We ain’t got the bill yet, but I expect it 
’ll be enough; it most generally is. Her face 
is all swelled up, one eye is swelled shet, and 
she ain’t slept two whole hours together fer 
three days n’ nights. John Henry’s that un- 
easy he can’t rest a minute, and I’ve nigh 
about wore my feet off runnin’ from the stove 
to the bed with sacks o’ hot salt and bricks 
dipped in vinegar.” 

^^Does she complain much?” enquired Mrs. 
Dean. 

‘^Not very much; but she don’t deny the 
pain, and she cried yesterday when little Do- 
rothea climbed upon the bed and patted her 
face and said, ^Po’ mama do hurt,’ and ^My 

T37 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

mama won’t yie, tause it’s wicked to yie.’ I 
slipped out then, fer I thought Dorothea 
would do better without an older person 
around makin’ a blunder and spilin’ the 
works o’ providence. 

wish every one was as thoughtful,” ex- 
claimed Mrs. Earnest, who was extra fond o’ 
quotin’ ^^a little child shall lead them.” 

^^I’m sorry as I can be that Elisabeth is 
sick, and I’m goin’ home early; then I’m 
cornin’ over with some hops and a little Jap- 
anese stove that Leander’s oldest brother’s 
youngest boy Sammy Loomis, sent to me 
from Californy, and I’m goin’ to stay all night 
and let you git a rest. Yer eyes are as heavy 
as lead now, and you will be gittin’ another 
spell o’ newralgy.” 

And Miranda looked at Mrs. Loomis awful 
grateful. We could hev’ any of us offered to 
do the same thing, but some how Mrs. Loomis 
is one of the kind that does things instead of 
thinkin’ about doin’ them. 

^‘Do you think that Mrs. Pickens would like 
to have callers?” asked Mrs. Earnest, who 
was always willin’ to do things but felt a lit- 
tle shy, bein’ almost a stranger. 

138 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


think Elisabeth is well nigh past think- 
in’ what she does want; but I’d be mighty 
pleased to hev you come, and so would John 
Henry.” 

^^You don’t mean the first o’ thet, Miran- 
dy?” sez I. 

^^Well, yes, I do; I think Elisabeth is 
threatened with brain fever or some bad kind 
o’ sickness, and I jist feel powerful uneasy 
about her, powerful uneasy.” 

And Miranda wiped a tear on the corner of 
the sheet she was hemin’. She insisted on 
doin’ somethin’, so we let her hem a sheet. 
We’re makin’ it to send to the Old Ladies’ 
Home, and we’re usin’ nice bleached muslin, 
too. 

^^Old ladies can feel,” sez I, ^fif they can’t 
see.” So we voted to git bleached. 

Jist then Mrs. Griggs come in and asked us 
out to supper. It was the best supper we 
ever had at Mrs. Griggs’; not but what they 
was alius good, but this ’n was better ’n good, 
it was extra-or-dinary. A niece of hers was 
there from Chicago, and she made a jelly-tin 
salad, ’n some froze stuff called frap, some- 


139 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

thin^ like ice cream, and somethin’ like old 
fashioned floatin’ island, and lady fingers to 
be e’t with it. But I don’t believe no lady 
ever hed sich long brown crumbly fingers as 
them. But law, they tasted good, and that’s 
the main thing. There was so much left that 
Mrs. Loomis and Almira Jane carried a bas- 
ket full over to Mr. Crandle’s. His aged ma 
hez come to live with him, and we don’t mean 
to fergit the aged in our own midst, while we 
kin send so much away to other old ladies 
that we ain’t been introduced to. So we jist 
do both, and feel better accordingly. 


10 


TWENTIETH MEETIN’. 


MRS. PICKENS LOSES HER MIND. 

We thought that Mrs. Barlow would begin 
to feel bad, it hed been so long since we met 
to her house, so we kind o’ got together and 
concluded to meet with her, without lettin’ 
her know that we was cornin’. 

So we jist took a basket apiece, thinkin’ it 
wouldn’t hurt us to furnish our own refresh- 
ments, and w^e all knew that we’d feel some 
like bein’ refreshed, after walkin’ away down 
there, and sewin’ all afternoon. 

^^Nobody can beat Mrs. Barlow when it 
comes to makin’ coffee,” panted Mrs. Still- 
man as we tried to catch up with Mrs. Dean 
and Mrs. Griggs, who was a little ways 
ahead. 

^Wes,” sez I, ^Ve’ll git our hot coffee all 
right at Mrs. Barlow”s, and so we jogged 
along, not bein’ able to catch up. We was 
the last ones there, and didn’t git to see 
whether Mrs. Barlow was surprised or not; 


141 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

but she had a real glad look; but land o^ 
mercy, she’s aged awful since Jim got burned. 
I whispered to Mrs. Dean when I got a 
chance, ^^She’s purtnear white headed. But 
she’s hed lots o’ trouble in her time,” sez 1^ 
thinkin’ more o’ her recent trouble then I hed 
fer a long time. 

^^How is Jim, now?” asked Mrs. Earnest. 

I hated to hear her ask, fer I jist thought 
it would make Mrs. Barlow feel bad; she hez 
always been so sensitive about Jim. But 
somehow she seemed anxious to tell us, and I 
wondered at it, until she said : ^^The heart of 
a woman is some like a bottle of fermentin’ 
liquid — it’s got to hev’ an outlet, or jist bust 
plum to pieces.” 

And we all knew thet was so. 

“Jim’s failin,” sed she; “since he can’t 
work he’s goin’ into a decline; he won’t ever 
git well. I guess the Lord knew how I wor- 
ried about him and lay awake nights won- 
derin’ what would become of him if pa or me 
was took. So the Lord’s a goin’ to take him 
first, and seein’ how helpless he is, I’ve come 
to feel thankful — kind of fearful and sick at 


142 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


heart. He’s been sich a care; I’ll miss him 
so. But it’s all love and kindness on the part 
of the Lord, and — and — ” 

She sobbed right out. Then I see Mrs. 
Earnest reach over and take her hand in a 
warm, sisterly way, thet did her lots o’ good. 
We didn’t say any more about Jim, and I 
soon got Mrs. Barlow out to the kitchen to 
make the coffee, fer I know’d that would help 
to git it out o’ her mind. 

We all knew thet somethin’ awful hed hap- 
pened in Barleyville, worse then Jim bein’ 
burnt, or anything, but we didn’t like to talk 
about it, and wouldn’t hev’ if Mrs. Barlow 
hedn’t come back in to ask why Mrs. Loomis 
hedn’t come to the meetin’. So we hed to tell 
her. That is, Mrs. Dean did. 

^W^hy, Mrs. Barlow,” sez she, ^^hain’t you 
heard about Mrs. Pickens yet?” 

^T^and, no!” sez she. ^^Has she got another 
doctern?” 

no; but the poor thing has been sick, 
awful sick.” 

‘^Dew tell!” sed Aunt Arimatha, upsettin’ 
the work basket. 


143 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

^^Why, ain^t you heard it, either?’^ sez I, 
thinkin^ every body knew it. 

‘^Why, no; I ain^t heard only about her 
teeth. 

sez I, ^^thet beats me. I thought 
everybody knew it.^^ 

‘^What’s happened?’^ 

And Mrs. Barlow trembled, rememberin^ 
what sheM suffered on account o’ Elisabeth’s 
doctern. 

^^She never got over that work on her 
teeth; her nerves were all unstruncr and she 
took brain fever; that is, she had something 
like brain fever, but much worse. I was 
there when Dr. Goodman told them what the 
trouble was.” 

And Mrs. Griggs wiped her eyes, and two 
or three more did the same. 

^^John Henry took it awful hard, and Mi- 
randa was jist hart-broke.” 

don’t understand what you mean,” sed 
Mrs. Barlow. 

^^Why, Mrs. Pickens hez lost her mind, or 
gone crazy, as it’s called fer commin,” sez I, 
who am too much to speak out when others 
is talkin’. 


144 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

^^Yes,” sez Mrs. Dean, ^^Your trouble was 
bad enough; Mrs. Hoffmanns was sad; and it 
was hard to give up Fanny; and Mrs. Pert 
had her share. But of all the trouble that 
Syance has brought on to Barleyville, their 
trouble is the worst. I was in yesterday, and 
there lay Elisabeth, apparently as well as 
ever, and yet there was such a difference. It 
was like a body without a soul — or not ex- 
actly like that, either — it was like bein^ in a 
nightmare forever and bein’ unable to wake 
up.” 

“ What did she lose her mind over?” asked 
Mrs. Barlow. 

^^W^hy, she thinks that she was the cause 
of Jim’s accident, and Fanny’s death, and she 
imagines that she can see Abner Groves car- 
ryin’ Mrs. Pert’s little baby ’round and ’round 
the bed, and bearin’ Fanny beg for a drop of 
water. And she just wears herself out cry- 
in’: J can’t come to you, Fanny; I can’t; 
I can’t.’ Oh, it was awful. I can see her 
and hear her yet.” 

And so we talked on and on, fergittin’ all 
o’ Elisabeth’s faults and rememberin’ her as 


145 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

the Elisabeth we used to love and respect be- 
fore she took up Syance. We hed our re- 
freshments and our cup o’ good coffee, and 
went quietly home, thinkin’ of the great sor- 
rows and changes thet was taken place in 
Barleyville. 


146 


TWENTY-FIRST MEETIN’. 


MRS. PICKENS CURED. 

It bed been so stormy fer quite a spell, thet 
we hedn’t been havin’ our regular meetin’s, 
but this bein’ a fair day we was most all pres- 
ent. And a happier, more rejoicin’ set o’ 
women it ’d a been hard to find anywheres. 
Miranda was the first to speak. 

‘^It jist seems too good to be true. But 
seein’ ’tis true, I might jist as well go on bein’ 
thankful. 

‘^God still works in mysterious ways His 
wonders to perform,” breathed Mrs. Earnest, 
softly. 

^^Law, yes,” sez Mrs. Loomis, ^^He surely 
does. Six months ago we would have every 
one sed sich a thing was plum impossible. 
And now every one but poor Fanny has lived 
to see it.” 

believe she sees it, and is glad,” sed Mrs. 
Dunlavy, softly, who hed been cornin’ to the 


147 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

meetings regularly, though she hed never 
much to say since Fanny^s death. 

^^Barleyville seems more like itself than it 
hez for moreen a year.” And Mrs. Stillman^s 
smile o’ satisfaction was reflected on every 
one of our faces. 

^‘What we need to do now,” suggested Mrs. 
Earnest, ^fls to get Mrs. Pickens interested in 
church work, and help her to forget the past, 
with all its unpleasant associations.” 

^^Law, yes,” sed Mrs. Loomis, ^^and Elisa- 
beth will be good help in the Society. She’s 
been missed powerful by most all of us.” 

^^And to think thet she got cured so quick, 
when me and John Henry was jist grievin’ 
our hearts out, and cryin’ some every time 
little Dorothea asked, When is mama turnin’ 
home?’ and we a tellin’ her that it might be 
a long, long time.” 

And Miranda’s face shined like anybody’s 
does when the Lord gives them a bigger bless- 
in’ then they hev hed faith to ask fer. 

^‘What did the big doctor at the institution 
say about her?” asked Mrs. Griggs. 

he said it all come along a readin’ an’ 
148 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

thinkin’ on one thing, an’ tryin’ to live con- 
sistent to her perfeshin’; when there wa’n’t 
nothin’ consistent in it to live up to; an’ then, 
he said, that things jist got to runnin’ in her 
mind ’till they made her a ^Money Maniac,’ 
though I didn’t quite believe that, but may 
be ’twas so. She acted awful queer fer a long 
time, an’ was awful hard to live with, but I 
never see her show no extra interest in 
money; leastwise only on’c’t, an’ that was 
when Jimmie O’Bryan come over to pay his 
rent on thet house o’ her’n that her pa giv’ 
her. He jist sot there a spell. Then he sez, 
sez he: ^Mrs. Pickens, would ye be afther 
givin’ me a resait? It’s a blissid hurry I’m 
in th’ day to be shure, with the woife o’ me 
wanthin’ her supper, and the childer as hun- 
gry as pigs.’ ^But, Mr. O’Bryan, you haven’t 
paid me yet,’ sed Elisabeth. ^Shure now, an’ 
ai’n’t it yersilf that has been tellin’ me woife 
that if ye belave a thing, an’ kape right on 
belavin’ that same, it would be thrue? ^^An’ 
shure,” says I to mesilf, ^Jimmie, ye are ow- 
in’ the darlint more’n ye’r able to pay,’ so 
says I to mesilf, ^J’ll jist be afther takin’ up 


149 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

with the new docthern of ’em, God bliss 
’em,” an’ so I’m afther belavin’ it’s been 
paid, Mrs. Pickens,’ sez he. I laughed; I 
couldn’t help it.” 

And Mrs. Grippenny, knowin’ the value o’ 
money, asked breathlessly: “What did Elisa- 
beth do?” 

“Well, fust she acted as if she’d hev’ to 
giv’ him the receipt in order to git a new con- 
vert to her doctern; but I see her a consider- 
in’ the matter; twenty-five dollars was a good 
deal to pay fer a convert, and besides, Jimmie 
O’Bryan bed the house fer a year, an’ might 
keep right on believin’ that the rent w^as paid 
till the crack o’ doom. The Grimes’ blood in 
Elisabeth couldn’t see no sich waste o’ good 
money. So she up and told him that he didn’t 
understand the matter, and she couldn’t pos- 
sibly give him the receipt until she got the 
money. ^Shure an’ if ye’ll only think ye’v 
got that same, it’s a happy man ye’ll be mak- 
in’ o’ Jimmie O’Bryan.’ But Elisabeth come 
down purty firm, and that’s the only time I 
ever see anything that could have been the 
cause o’ ^Money Maniac.’ ” 

150 








s: 

K 


XL. 

A 

K 

►— ( 

C 



c 



e 

K 




r 




ma 





m 



THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

think you must have misunderstood the 
doctor,’’ sed Mrs. Earnest. ^‘He probably 
meant a monomaniac — a person with one 
idea.” 

as fer that,” sed Miranda, ‘^she hed two 
or three idees, but they all run in the same 
directshun.” 

am more interested in knowin’ how she 
feels now,” sez I. 

^Well, she don’t say much about it to me; 
but she talked fer quite a spell to Mrs. Ear- 
nest, the other day, more than she hez to 
anyone else since she come back, and I think 
it might do some good if Mrs. Earnest would 
tell you how she feels.” 

do not like to repeat private conversa- 
tions,” sed Mrs. Earnest. ‘^And I never be- 
tray a confidence that any one reposes in me ; 
but I think that Mrs. Pickens would be glad 
to tell you how she feels; in fact, she said 
that she would like to have me explain some 
things to you, as she did not like to do it her- 
self.” 

We all listened closely while Mrs. Earnest 
told us that Mrs. Pickens hed felt fer a good 


151 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

while before she went to Boston as if she was 
a goin^ to break down. Her head hed ached 
fer a long spell, and she was some uneasy 
about her mind then, but she thought if she 
took up Syance she could be saved from all 
trouble, both mental and physical, but the 
first year hed been an awful struggle, with 
terrible results and a final break down. 

She hadn't hardly finished sayin’ it before 
the doctor’s wife asked if that was why they 
all took it up. It reminded her of “Home- 
opathy.” She’s sich a strong “Alleypath” 
thet she loves to slur all the other ’paths. 
We don’t blame her, fer we love the doctor 
and think thet his wife ought to stand by 
him. 

And so we talked and talked, about doc- 
terns and ’pathies, till Mrs. Griggs asked why 
Almira Jane didn’t come. Strange how we 
are learnin’ to love Almira Jane most like we 
used to Fanny. She’s gittin’ so sweet and 
thoughtful, it makes her purtyer then ever. 

“I guess Almira is quite busy these days,” 
sed Mrs. Dean, significantly. 

“Dew tell!” sed Aunt Arimatha, seein’ the 
drift emegiately. 

152 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

no secret/’ sed Mrs. Stillman. ^‘She 
believes like Fanny did, that if a girl ai’n’t 
ashamed to marry a man, she oughtn’t to be 
ashamed to own that she’s goin’ to.” 

This giv’ us somthin’ to talk over and look 
forard to. So after supper we adjourned 
early, each plannin’ what we could git to 
make Almira happy, thinkin’, o’ course, that 
we’d be invited. 


153 


TWENTY-SECOND MEETIN’, 


ALMIRA JANE MARRIED. 

^‘Come in/’ sez Mrs. Loomis with that glad 
look I like to see on anybody's face when I 
arrive at their house. The tone an’ the look 
make ye feel at home before ye git yer bun- 
net oiff. 

^^Law me I” sez I, ‘^am I first again?” 

“I’m rale glad,” sez she, “fer I wanted to 
tell you, that Almira Jane an’ her man ’s 
goin’ to be missionaries.” 

“Law!” sez I, “I ain’t as surprised as I’d 
’ve been a short time back. Almira hez been 
different ov late.” 

“We all hev,” sez she softly. 

Just then the others began droppin’ in — 
Aunt Arimatha with the basket, an’ Mrs. 
Griggs, an’ Mrs. Dean with the quiltin’ 
frames. 

“Law me!” sez they in one breath, “I wish 
we met at the same house every time.” 


154 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

“We might run out vittels/^ sez I, help- 
in’ ’em to unload. 

“When I hev’ a load like thet to pack, I 
most wish I was a Syantist,” sez Mrs. Griggs, 
breathless like. 

“Ye might hev’ a heavyer load than thet to 
carry if ye was,” sez Mrs. Loomis. “Besides, 
we hev’ seen it purty well proved thet denyin’ 
one’s burdens hez more of a tendency to add 
to ’em than it does to make ’em lighter.” 

“Thet’s so,” sez she, “but when I git kind 
o’ played out I sometimes wish some o’ their 
doctern wuz so.” 

“Some of it is,” sed Mrs. Earnest. “I sup- 
pose that you have never heard that Mrs. 
Eddy borrowed almost all the logic there is in 
her book from the research of Mr. P. P. 
Quimby.” 

“No,” sez I, “I never did; but I heard Mr. 
Earnest say she got it from the Panthers that 
lived in the dark ages.” 

“But,” sez she, “you most likely misunder- 
stood Mr. Earnest.” 

“Most likely I did,” sez I, “I don’t always 
hear good, and I ain’t easy at gittin’ new 
names.” 


155 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

urpjjere used to be a people or set of philos- 
ophers that taught nearly the same doctrine 
that Mrs. Eddy teaches, and they called them- 
selves Pantheists,^’ sez Mrs. Earnest. 

^^There,” sez I, ^^that’s what Mr. Earnest 
sed; I remember now.” 

^‘And Mrs. Eddy read Vedantism until her 
mind was all worked up, then when she met 
Mr. Quimby, who taught that mind con- 
trolled matter, and established the mind-cure 
treatment for all diseases, Mrs. Eddy com- 
bined his teachings with the old Hindoo phi- 
losophy (Pantheism) and called the result 
^Christian Science,’ ” sez Mrs. Earnest. 

thought she had a revelation,” sed Aunt 
Ariiiiatha. 

^^She saw the way revealed to make a for- 
tune, and in my opinion that’s the only reve- 
lation she ever had.” 

And Mrs. Pert expressed just what lots o’ 
folks think, but feel a little afeared of ex- 
pressin’. 

have no doubt,” continued Mrs. Earnest, 
^^that Mrs. Eddy felt sure that she would 
make money out of her works. She is a 


156 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

woman that could have done good in the 
world, if she had called things by their right 
names and have laid emphasis upon the 
power of mind over matter, instead of deny- 
ing matter altogether; but she has gone so 
far as to deny that Christ had ever lived in 
the flesh, or suffered for sinners, and how she 
could call such a dogma Christian is a mys- 
tery to me. I believe that a great many have 
been attracted to it on account of its sup- 
posed ^cures,^ and still influenced by their 
early Christian training, they have not 
allowed her false philosophy to wreck their 
Christian hope.’^ 

^^May be they ain^t got their own wrecked 
yit, but if sich things hez happened every 
where else, as hez happened here, they^re 
mighty apt to wreck a lot o^ other people^s 
hopes.” 

^^True enough, Mrs. Griggs,” said Mrs. 
Dunlavy, ^^or break their hearts, and yet, no 
one could be more willing than I am to wel- 
come them back into the church and forgive 
nil that is past.” 

^^ThaCs the Christian spirit, and if you kin 


157 


THE BARLBYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

do it, I guess the rest o’ us ought to. I heard 
Mrs. Barlow say at Almira’s weddin’ that she 
hoped that Mrs. Pickens would come back 
into the church.” 

We’d all been thinkin’ about the weddin’, 
but nobody know’d how to git to talkin’ about 
it without interruptin’ Mrs. Earnest; but 
once we got started, w^e sed enough nice 
things to spoil any bride; but she wa’n’t 
there to hear ’em. 

^^And besides,” sed Mrs. Loomis, female 
societies must talk about absent members, 
it’s a sight more sensible to talk good.” 

thought it lovely of Almira to give up 
wearing orange blossoms and using roses in- 
stead, just because she thought it would re- 
mind me of Fanny.” And Mrs. Dunlavy 
dropped a tear on the block she was quiltin’. 

^‘It w^as kind of her, and no bride in Barley- 
ville ever carried orange blossoms except 
Fanny, and I hope that no one else ever will.” 

Mrs. Pert sed jist what we all felt like say- 
in’, but hated to. 

^^But law!” sez I, ^^wasn’t she pleased with 
the quilt we give her?” 


158 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

^^She had as many nice presents as a girl 
could wish,” added Mrs. Griggs, pleasantly. 

‘^How glad I am to know that they are go- 
ing to devote their young lives to the Mas- 
ter,” said Mrs. Earnest. 

^^Well,” sez I, ‘G heard they was goin^ to 
study and be missionaries, and I don’t see 
how they can. All he had was what he hez 
been earnin’ in the school room, and her pa 
and ma can’t help ’em much.” 

kin tell ye.” And Mrs. Griggs laughed 
softly, she was that glad to tell us somethin’ 
we didn’t already know. ^^Mrs. Hoffmann 
and Mrs. Newrich went over and offered to 
pay their way if they really wanted to be mis- 
sionaries, and they didn’t fly off the handle or 
act proud and foolish and spile the Lord’s 
plans; but jist said it seemed that the Lord 
hed opened up the way, and all they hed to 
do was to accept it in His name, and be jest 
as good missionaries as they could be.” 

And we was jest sayin’ how proud we’d be 
of our own missionaries, when they was away 
off over the sea, when Mrs. Loomis asked us 
out to supper. Mrs. Loomis is a good cook, 

159 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE, 


any body kin tell that by lookin’ at them boys 
and step boys o’ her’n, and we jest enjoyed 
eatin’, although I believe we’d like to meet 
there if they wa’n’t nothin’ at all to eat. 
After we adjourned, Mrs. Earnest and me 
carried another basketful to old Mr. Cran- 
dell’s ma. No difference what’s a goin’ on 
in Barleyville, the Circle don’t fergit the sick 
or the old people. 


160 


TWENTY-THIRD MEETIN’. 

LAST AND BEST MEETIN’ OF THE YEAR. 

sez Mrs. Earnest, openin’ the door, 
^^it was so stormy that I was afraid that you 
wouldn’t come.” 

^^Oh, it isn’t as bad out as it looks.” And 
Mrs. Pert shook her cape and helped me to 
find the hat pin, that I couldn’t locate, head 
nor p’int of to save me. 

By 2 o’clock poorty near every member 
was there. Mrs. Earnest called us faithful 
women, and acted as pleased and surprised 
as if some societies stayed at home every time 
they had a shadder of an excuse, and she 
seemed to think we was some different, with 
the difference in our favor. We left the 
quilt over at Mrs. Loomis’, so we sot to mak- 
in’ a batch o’ aperns fer the Childern’s Home. 

^^If every Sewin’ Circle sends sich a variety 
o’ colors as ours do I think them orphans ’ll 
look like they come from the rainbow,” ex- 
claimed Mrs. Griggs, as she unrolled a dozen 

161 


THE DARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

different packages with as many different 
kinds o’ gingham and calico. 

^^Dew tell !” exclaimed Aunt Arimatha, un- 
wrappin’ the poortiest roll o’ dimity. “Now 
them little ones will all be a wantin’ this.” 

“Land sakes!” Aunt Arimatha, if you was 
the matron of an Orphaned Asylum you’d 
worry yerself plum to death, tryin’ to see 
that every thing was divided even.” 

“I wonder who give it?” sez I, and Mrs. 
Grippenny got red in the face and so con- 
fused that she dropped the scissors, and when 
she looked up I most screeched I was that 
astonished, fer in her mouth I saw two rows 
of pearly white teeth. “Land sakes alive!” 
sez I, and every body looked up. Mrs. Grip- 
penny jest sot down trembly like; then she 
sed: “Everything and everybody seemed to 
be changin’ in Barleyville, and me and Mr. 
Grippenny kinder wanted to change some 
too, so we went over to Pawnee last week and 
got some teeth and a new carryall and a car- 
pet and some new rockin’ cheers, and a suit o’ 
store clothes fer him and a black alapacca 
fer me; and some dimity, because — ’’then 
162 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

Mrs. Grippenny stopped, she was all breath- 
less and excited, as much so as if she hed 
been confessing a crime. 

^^Dew tell!’’ said Annt Arimatha, pattin’ 
that dimity kind o’ lovin’ like — as ef dimity 
could feel.” 

^Gt all comes ’long o’ Fanny Dunlavy,” con- 
tinued Mrs. Grippenny, when she found her 
breath. ^^Fanny used to be so honest and say 
sich pinted things, thet I couldn’t git over 
’em, and it hez done me and Mr. Grippenny 
a sight o’ good. The store keeper over at 
Pawnee asked me ef Mr. Grippenny hed been 
sick, and when we got home that night Joe — 
thet’s Hiram’s little boy — sed he was afeard 
thet Grandpa was a goin’ to die, but I tole 
him he was just beginnin’ to live.” 

And Mrs. Grippenny laughed softly and 
then she sighed. 

^^The laugh was because I’m happy, and 
the sigh because I didn’t begin sooner,” sez 
she, takin’ her place at the machine. We 
always let her stitch, she takes sich little 
seams and never fergits to tie the thread at 
the ends o’ the ruffles. 


163 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

‘^Mr. Earnest preached a mighty good ser- 
mon Sunday/' remarked Mrs. Griggs, as she 
measured an apern string. 

^^And the text just suited. I often tell 
Griggs thet Mr. Earnest is better on texts 
than any preacher we ever hed." 

couldn't go agin' last Sunday, on ac- 
count of the children," sed Aunt Arimatha. 
^^And I ain't even heered yet what the text 
was; but I was goin' to ask, fer I always put 
down the texts and think about them all 
week." 

^^And live by 'em," sez I. ‘‘And we'd all 
be better if we did the same." 

“The text was: ‘Old things are passed 
away; behold, all things are become new.' 
And Mrs. Griggs went on to tell how Mr. Ear- 
nest made everybody feel as if they was all 
beginnin' over, and Mrs. Pickens couldn't 
feel as if she had been singled out, to be 
preached at or looked at either. 

“If every preacher hed that knack there'd 
be more wanderers returnin' to the fold than 
there now is," affirmed Mrs. Loomis, who hez 
always believed in preachers bein' consider- 


164 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

ate as well as elokent, and I don^t know but 
she’s right. ^^Fer we never hev’ hed a preach- 
er to win so many as Mr. Earnest hez.” 

never had a better service than we 
did last Sunday. I told the deacon when we 
got home that if I had been a Methodist, I’d 
a shouted when Mrs. Pickens went forward 
to join.” 

^^You could ’ve done it, Mrs. Pert,” said 
Mrs. Loomis. ^‘The Methodists would ’ve 
been willin’, and I guess none o’ us would ’ve 
objected.” 

^‘Dew tell!” exclaimed Aunt Arimatha. 
^^Did Elisabeth and John Henry join?” 

^‘Land yes,” sez I, ‘^the whole posse o’ ’em 
jined. They met last Saturday and dis- 
banded, and Sunday they all j’ined the 
church. It didn’t seem so lonesome fer ’em, 
all cornin’ in together.” 

^^Dear me, how I should ’ve liked to hev’ 
been there to ’ve welcomed them.” 

And Aunt Arimatha looked troubled, like 
most folks do w^hen a big duty keeps them 
from doin’ a little one. 

^Ht was certainly a day of rejoicing. God 
has certainly blessed His church.” 


165 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

And Mrs. Earnest looked up as if she 
wished us to give the credit to God. 

^^It is strange,” sez I. ^^Six months ago 
they would hev’ taken the church fer their 
own services; now they are all members with 
us, and we will hev^ all the time w^e want to 
make ’em feel welcome, and I hope we’ll do 
it, too.” 

‘^Amen!” said Mr. Earnest, cornin’ in from 
the study, w^here he hed been thumpin’ away 
the whole afternoon. 

‘^Hev you been makin’ us another good ser- 
mon?” asked Mrs. Griggs, who once in 
a while lets her curiosity git away with her 
manners. But Mr. Earnest didn’t act as if 
he keered; he even looked kind o’ pleased. I 
guess it tickles a preacher to hev’ the women 
brag on their sermons. I guess servin’ spir- 
itual food ain’t much different from servin’ 
other kind o’ vittils. It’s kind o’ restful like 
to hev’ ’em bragged on once in a while. 

^‘No, I was not typewriting my sermon,” 
sez he, was copying a poem that Mrs. Pick- 
ens wrote for me last week.” 

^^Elisabeth can’t write poetry, can she?” 
sez I. . 


166 


THE BARLEYVILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 


‘^Read it to the ladies while I get supper,” 
sez Mrs. Earnest, goin’ out to the kitchen. 

So he sot down and read: 

“Long I’ve wandered heavy hearted, 

Seeking truth devoid of prayer. 

Wandering farther, farther, farther, 

Into darkness and despair. 

Vowing God was All, and hoping 
By denying sin and pain. 

To prove that Christ, the world’s Redeemer, 

For our sins was never slain. 

Yet while vowing all, kept feeling 
Sin and sickness filled the earth. 

Found the Doctrine so enticing. 

One of little daily worth. 

Found that pain still racked my body; 

Found that sin was in my heart; 

Yet like Ephraim to his idols, 

I was joined in every part. 

Fear of ridicule and laughter. 

Kept me from confessing all. 

That, in all life’s crucifixions, • 

Is the vinegar and gall. 

But at last I came repentant. 

To the Christ who died for me, 

Though the world may scorn — I triumph 
In the hope that makes me free.” 


167 


THE BARLEY VILLE SEWIN’ CIRCLE. 

^‘Did Elisabeth write that?’’ sez I. 

^‘Yes, she writes quite well,” sez he. “I 
think that she will do great good in Barley- 
ville if she remains faithful.” 

“Oh, she’ll be as faithful as a Baptist,” sez 
I, “with conviction, fer when Elisabeth is sot, 
she’s sot.” 

After supper we concluded to give the dim- 
ity aperns to the Amos’s, so there wouldn’t 
be any jealous children at the orphantage. 
Then we hed an election and put Elisabeth 
in fer president, and Mrs. Grippenny in fer 
treasurer, fer she is so keerful with the 
money. Miranda sed she was so happy that 
she felt like as if she was dreamin’. 

“May be it is all a dream,” sez I, but catch- 
in’ sight o’ Mrs. Dunlavy’s black dress and 
Mrs. Barlow’s gray hair, and Mrs. Grip- 
penny’s new teeth, I know’d it wasn’t. 

Mrs. Earnest read a ’sam; she called it a 
“ ’Sam o’ Rejoicin’,” Then we all riz up and 
sung “Praise God From Whom All Blessings 
Flow,” and went home wonderin’ if there ’d 
ever be another as interestin’ a year in Bar- 
leyville or anywheres else. 


168 







MAY 1 1903 





